Mortal Kombat: The Aftermath
by TheHemomancer
Summary: Sequel to Ascension. The Earthrealm heroes have lived a long life of peace, but a new evil soon awakes. Set after the events of Mk9. I'm mixing in elements and characters from MK4/Deadly Alliance/Deception/Armageddon. Some events will be before those games. Rated M for lemonyness, language and violence. I do not own MK. FINISHED.
1. The King of Edenia

**-This is the first chapter in the sequel to **_**Ascension**_**.**

**-I think it's quite obvious that you should read **_**Ascension **_**first before reading this, otherwise it will not make any sense to you. **

**-I owe everyone that reviewed or read that story a massive thankyou for taking the time to do so. It meant a lot to me. I hope you will enjoy this story too.**

**-I may be taking time with these chapters in order to ensure that I do a good job on each of them.**

**-These next few chapters will be based on post-MK3, MK4, and Deadly Alliance.**

**-Enjoy!**

The sun set in Outworld as a ninja decided to stop on his quest. The ninja had been searching for hours in Outworld for no particular reason. His motives were unclear to all, especially him. Fatigue grew on the ninja, who decided to sit down and admire the sunshine of the Outworld.

The scenery around the male was elegant. There was a lot of foliage nearby that sprouted white, pink-laced frangipanis and emerald green leaves. The grass was as green as the leaves and the lake nearby was a gorgeous shade of blue. It was beautiful to the point that it became distracting to look at.

The ninja sat there for a few moments, taking in his surroundings. He found himself quite relaxed by the gentle tone of the colours, the middle-toned shades appealed to him. The ninja suddenly felt sick for a moment.

His head started violently throbbing as his body started to contort in pain. The ninja curled up in a foetal position as his body erupted in anarchy. It was as though everything that composed him was exploding, and the nerves were sending sharp pains throughout his body.

The pain continued on for quite some time, until it finally subsided. The ninja sat up as though he was possessed by some kind of supernatural force. Having had enough rest, he decided to continue on his quest once more. His motives remembered, the ninja travelled on into Edenia.

As he was on his way to the freshly-separated realm of Edenia, the ninja came across an impressive young warrior. The man wore a red sash over his eyes, grey armour with red accents, and had a sword attached to his back. The man seemed to be meditating, as he had his legs crossed and his body completely still.

The ninja saw great potential in the man, and immediately decided to do something about it. He could recruit the man, even. Deciding to put his quest on hold, the ninja watched patiently as the blind man continued his meditation.

The blind man seemed to have sensed that somebody was watching him. Startled, the sword-wielder unsheathed his sword and held it offensively. Though he was blind, his sword was controlled with the souls of his fallen kin, which guided him.

"Who are you…" the blind man hissed.

"We are Ermac. We have been watching you train and meditate. We can not help but notice that you have great potential and skill. Would you care to let us take you in?"

The blind man thought for a moment, as if he was being asked a serious question. Looking up at the red ninja, he nodded. "Yes, Ermac. My name is Kenshi. I hope that my defects won't hinder our training."

Ermac suddenly realised that Kenshi was blind. He felt stupid for not noticing it before. It would not be a problem. Ermac had seen Kenshi fight before and come out on top, so he knew that Kenshi was a good fighter nonetheless, and so therefor, training would be easy.

"It will not affect us in any way. We have seen you fight before, Kenshi. You impress us with your abilities."

There was a long pause before either man spoke. "We need you to accompany us on our quest. We must go to Edenia. We need to speak with someone that is important to us."

Kenshi nodded. "It would be an honour to go with you. When does training start, Ermac?'

The soul-construct thought for a moment. "Training will start tomorrow. Before 5:00 AM. It is important to train early, so that you can give your body a good start to the day."

The blind warrior nodded. Though he was disappointed that he would have to get back into the routine of waking up early tomorrow, he was happy that he was going to be trained by a great warrior. Kenshi also saw potential in Ermac.

"We need to go to Edenia. We may lose the chance to speak with the Queen," Ermac reminded. Pulling Kenshi close, the soul-construct muttered a mystical incantation and they soon found themselves in Edenia.

Both men were in awe over the beauty of the realm they were in. Edenia had not been this way since the events of the Outworld invasion, before Sindel's death. Ermac immediately started searching for the Palace, while Kenshi decided to explore. He remained close to the Palace, though, so that Ermac wouldn't be searching for him.

Upon entering the palace, Ermac was intrigued by it's new looks. It looked similar to the fortress of Shao Kahn, except the Palace was more elegant and didn't have gruesome statues or objects. The ninja continued walking until he was in the Throneroom, standing before the Queen and the Princess, Kitana.

"Queen Sindel," the ninja began. "We have something important that we would like to share with you."

The white-haired woman furrowed her brow. This would be the first time she had spoken to Ermac before. What could he possibly be needing to tell _her_?

"Continue," her deep voice spoke.

"Our creation is solely composed of the souls of the Edenian warriors that died at the hands of Shao Kahn and his warriors. For the past few days, they have been fighting for dominance since Shao Kahn's demise."

The Queen hadn't a clue why he needed to tell her this. "And? Your problems mean nothing to me."

Ermac chuckled. "Is that so?" The ninja then took on the form of…King Jerrod. Sindel's husband and Kitana's father.

"What?!" The Queen barked. "Jerrod?!"

"Father…" Kitana gasped. "But how?"

The late Edenian King cleared his throat. "Shao Kahn used my soul to create Ermac. The souls that composed him fought for dominance after the Emperor's death. My soul came out on top and we have been the soul controlling Ermac. That is why I am here."

Sindel fought to keep her emotions under check. "Ermac…this means you will be King!"

The soul-construct shook his head. "No. With sorcery, we can extract the souls of every warrior that composes me and bring them back to life."

Kitana frowned. "But then, you will die. How is that going to help any of us?"

Ermac shook his head once again. "No. We also have our own soul. When the extraction process is complete, we must have our soul put in a body. We will live if that is the case."

Kitana looked at her mother, who nodded. "Very well, Ermac. For now, you will rule as King until we can find someone to perform the extraction process. But you must be Jerrod at all times, as the Edenian residents will grow suspicious."

His appearance now that of King Jerrod, Ermac nodded. "May my pupil be granted residency here? I agreed to train him whilst on my quest to Edenia."

"That is not a problem," Sindel said. "What is his name? Who is he?"

"His name is Kenshi. He is a blind, Earthrealm warrior who has telekinetic abilities. Great potential was seen in him, so I decided to take him in."

"Is he with you at this moment?"

"Yes, My Queen. He is waiting outside. I instructed him to wait there for the time being. May I fetch him?"

"Of course," Sindel smiled. "I would like to see what he looks like."

Ermac, who was still in the form of the Edenian King, left the Palace to find Kenshi. The latter was outside, meditating, in the same position Ermac had seen him in before. The sword wielder had sensed that someone was watching him, and broke out of his meditating stance.

"Who are you? You're not Ermac."

"I am, Kenshi. One of the very souls that compose him is that of the late Edenian King, King Jerrod. Queen Sindel would like to see you."

The blind warrior nodded and then followed his ally into the palace.

"You must be Kenshi," Sindel began. "Jerrod, or, Ermac, as you may know him, has requested that you can stay here."

The man nodded. "I hope that is not of hindrance to you or the fellow Edenians, Queen Sindel."

The woman laughed. "It is not a problem at all, Kenshi. Ermac tells us you are his pupil. You seem like a good person, anyway."

Kitana, who's mind was on that of her fiancée, Scorpion, suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, where are my manners!" She began. "My name is Kitana. I am the Princess of Edenia, but you do not need to address me with any formalities. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kenshi."

The warrior bowed. "Indeed, Kitana."

_Outworld_

Tanya had left the Netherrealm on her own to conduct further research on the ancient Dragon King scriptures. She already knew that he had an undefeatable army that could be revived by transferring the soul of a warrior into the mummified corpses of the Dragon King's army.

But that knowledge would not be enough. She needed to know more. More about how she could control them, and where the corpses were based.

Heading to an ancient library in the heart of Outworld, Tanya walked into the _History _section of the library. She scanned the books on the shelves carefully so that she would not miss any books on the Dragon King.

Slowly, but surely, she found it. The book was called "The Prophecy of the Dragon King."

The book had an intriguing cover. It was a scary one at that. It contained the odd-looking scriptures about the Dragon King, as well as a picture of the warrior himself. _This book must be pretty old_, Tanya thought. This made her question whether or not it would be useful in finding out what information she'd need to know.

Regardless, she sat down and began reading the book.

_The Return of the Dragon King_

_The Dragon King's body and the remains of his warriors are based in his incubation chamber, which is based in the deepest part of the underground caves in Outworld. Someone that is similar to the Dragon King in any particular way must travel there. Immediately upon their arrival, they will find themselves a vessel to Him, and the Dragon King will live through that person_.

It immediately clicked to Tanya that they would need to use somebody like Reptile as a vessel for the Dragon King's resurrection. _Too easy_, she thought. Bringing the book with her, Tanya teleported back to the Netherrealm to inform Reiko of the information she had found about the prophecy of the Dragon King.

Together, they would be unstoppable with their undefeatable army….

**-Ermac is the new king of Edenia (for now).**

**-As you can probably tell, I based the introduction on his Mk9 ending. **

**-There will be more characters defecting in this story, seeing that Shao Kahn is still dead. **

**-I plan to add lots of twists and turns for the Earthrealm warriors as the conflict nears. **

**-The soul extraction will take place within the next few chapters (if not, then in the middle of the story).**

**-I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of **_**The Aftermath**_**.**

**-I think it's obvious who Tanya wants to use as a vessel for the Dragon King's resurrection.**

**-I will be further elaborating on that character and will be bringing in a character of his likeness. **

**-This story will probably be a longer one than **_**Ascension**_**, so I once again ask for your patience with the updates. **

**-Thankyou for reading! **


	2. Reforming the Clan

**-This chapter mainly stars Kuai Liang and the Lin Kuei characters. I will be introducing a new character in this chapter! Most of you like her, some of you don't. But nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

The days were getting faster and faster and more relaxed. Kuai Liang was only getting used to this lifestyle of luxury and peace. But all that really mattered to him was that his brother was with him. That he had his friends with him.

Tundra had gotten along with everybody in Edenia, and had found new friends in the King and his pupil, Kenshi. Kuai Liang remembered the days of him being a pupil of the Lin Kuei. The days of being in the clan dawned on him. He had left after it's disbandment. Sektor had died at the hands of Cyrax, who defected during the tournament. Sektor's father died of old age.

The young Cryomancer had been thinking about reforming the clan, but he knew that it would take a lot of work. And he was just getting used to his relaxed life in Edenia. Kuai Liang was a hard worker, but he wasn't going to give up his life of peace anytime soon.

He then decided that he needed to talk to somebody about this. Preferably his closest friend, Smoke. Tundra thought that perhaps, he and Smoke could re-form the Lin Kuei and make it more than just a band of honourless assassins. Both Kuai Liang and Tomas were good people, so it wouldn't be difficult at all. The Cryomancer thought that they could even get Cyrax involved, and maybe Bi-Han.

His train of thought was broken when a grey ninja approached him. "Hey," he greeted.

Kuai Liang inclined his head to face Smoke. "Hello, Tomas. How have you been?"

"Good. I'm really enjoying the life here. How about you?"

"As have I. I was thinking that maybe we could reform the Lin Kuei."

Tomas' eyes widened at his allies remark. "What? You want to go back to the _Lin Kuei _after everything they've done?"

The Cryomancer was annoyed that his friend had not entirely understood him. "No. Listen carefully, Tomas. We rebuild the Lin Kuei and turn it into a clan of honoured warriors. We make our clan into a force of good."

The Enenra thought for a moment, looking down at the ground he stood on. This would definitely be a good idea, but neither of them seemed to be willing to give up their time of peace to rejoin the Lin Kuei.

"Well, alright," Tomas spoke. "But when do we do this? We can't just jump into it without a plan."

"Of course not. We must give the idea some more thought. We also need enough time to do it. The Lin Kuei's base is in Earthrealm, and we're in Edenia."

"Well, yes," Tomas said, "We could bring the recruits here."

"But that's the problem. The recruits are most likely cyber warriors. Since we're renegade Lin Kuei, it won't be the simplest ordeal to have them obey us."

"Perhaps this was a bad idea," Tomas said, frowning.

"That, and it's probably not the right time," Kuai Liang said.

The two men concluded their conversation and headed to the breakfast table, after being informed by the Princess. They had never seen so much food before. It was presented immaculately. There was scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausages, and coffee.

All of the Earthrealm warriors sat down around the table and dug into the delectable food before them. For Cyrax, Smoke, Sub-Zero and Tundra, this was the first time they would be having such luxurious food, let alone be in a luxurious environment such as Edenia. Luxury was an enemy of the Lin Kuei, so it was not an everyday thing that they got to enjoy meals like this.

After wolfing down his breakfast, Kuai Liang showered and got dressed into casual clothing. He decided that he would secretly venture into Earthrealm to investigate the state of the Lin Kuei. He had previously lied to Tomas before about not wanting to reform the Lin Kuei.

His allies, who were under the false pretense that he was going to Earthrealm to visit someone, Kuai Liang arrived in Earthrealm through means of teleportation. He had used a magical pendant to do so, which was given to him by Raiden. The pendant also provided it's wearer with other magical abilities, such as time travel. But Tundra didn't have much use for that.

The Cryomancer ventured through the coast of China, heading into Arctika. He was unaffected by the cold due to his powers. Such gifts allowed him to survive in climates below zero.

As he came across the gates to Arctika, he noticed that there was a large yeti nearby. The creature looked very dangerous, but Kuai Liang was no stranger to fighting off and killing bears, jaguars, and other wild animals. _This would be easy_, he thought.

The yeti noticed him, and Kuai Liang immediately lashed out at the creature, freezing him solid with a concentrated blast of ice. He drew his kori blade and decapitated the beast, and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to it's frozen torso, shattering it's remains into small blocks of blood-stained ice.

Continuing on his journey, Kuai Liang soon found the Lin Kuei temple. It was not much different from before, except it was now overrun with insane cyber ninjas, who ran around the temple liked headless chickens. They were malfunctioning because they had no orders. No Grandmaster to serve. Nothing to do. No people to kill.

Tundra managed to get past them with his pendant and teleported to the chamber of the Grandmaster. The man lay dead on the ground, a machete impaled in his chest. His eyes were glassy and spooky looking, and he was surrounded by a pool of his own blood. The stench of a dead body lingered in the area. It disgusted Kuai Liang.

But above all, he noticed that there was a large, circular pendant shaped object in the Grandmaster's clothing. It was shiny and had a dragon symbol on it. Tundra realised it was nothing other than the Dragon Medallion.

Thousands of thoughts raced through his mind about what he should do. One part of him wanted to take it, while another part wanted him to leave the Medallion where it was and leave. Another wanted him to wear the Medallion, reform the Lin Kuei, and rebuild the Temple in Edenia.

He decided to go along with his instincts and don the Dragon Medallion. As he did so, power surged through him, and Tundra felt incredible. He felt sick, even, as he was not used to this kind of power. But Kuai Liang could _definitely _get used to it.

His first order would be to rebuild the Temple in Edenia. From there, he could rebuild the clan by restoring the souls of the cyber ninjas, and recruit Smoke, Bi-Han, and Cyrax.

His train of thought was interrupted as the cyber ninjas burst into the room and crowed around Tundra. They must have known he was the Grandmaster somehow, most likely through their mechanisms.

"What are your commands, Grandmaster Tundra?" One of the ninjas asked.

_I must remove their slaving protocols first_, he thought, but wasn't going to say that. "First, I need time to rebuild this place in Edenia. Then, we can work from there."

Kuai Liang then decided to walk around the Temple to see what had happened to it since his time of refuge here. As he walked past one of the chambers, Tundra saw an unfamiliar name written on the doorpost of one of the chamber doors.

Sareena_._

_Who is that? The Lin Kuei think of women to be less equal to men. Why is a woman taking refuge here? _

Quietly entering the chamber, Tundra saw a woman laying down on a bed. She had black markings on her face, black lipstick, white streaks in her hair, and a _very _skimpy outfit.

The woman wore black forearm guards with ribbon lacing, a black, bra-like top with red accents, and a red loincloth that was similar to Skarlet's. Around the loincloth, there was a black belt-like waistline that the woman stored her knives in.

_She looks very sexy_, Tundra thought, as his eyes raked over her beautiful figure.

The woman soon came to her senses, her eyes snapping open, to see Sub-Zero standing at the door, watching her.

She remembered saving Sub-Zero from Quan Chi in the Netherrealm, years ago. Their partnership lead them to meet up once again in the Lin Kuei temple, where Sareena was offered refuge.

"Sub-Zero?"

"I am not the Sub-Zero. He is my brother."

"Brother…? You're Kuai Liang, then? The New Grandmaster?"

Tundra was shocked that this woman, who he knew nothing about, somehow knew his name and his status. "Yes…how do you know this?"

"Bi-Han told me about you. He and I go way back. I saved his life from Quan Chi whilst he ventured on his quest to retrieve the Map of Elements from the sorcerer. And as for you being Grandmaster, I saw the little commotion that took place before. Those cyber ninjas seem eager to serve you," the sultry demon grinned.

"They do, indeed. It seems that slaving protocols corrupt them to serve _only _the Grandmaster. I need to restore them so that they will be less dependant on my commands."

The demon nodded and stood up. "Very well. I will assist you, Kuai Liang. What are your plans for the Lin Kuei?"

"I wish to reform it. To make it gender equal. To relocate in Edenia, where my brother and I reside. To enlist his help alongside the former recruits Smoke, Sub-Zero and Cyrax. I would kindly welcome your aid, too."

The demon carefully thought for a moment, and then nodded. "I'll join you, Tundra. As long as there's no funny stuff with me being the only female in the clan."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "I promise there won't be."

They then went off to reprogram the cyberninjas, removing their slaving protocols. Within 30 minutes, they had already recruited dozens of Lin Kuei.

Their next mission would be to relocate to Edenia.

**-Tundra/Sareena? Maybe, maybe not! :D**

**-The next chapter will be focusing on the Lin Kuei's reformation, and the tournament involving Frost's recruitment.**

**-After that, it will flow into Deadly Alliance and Deception. **

**-This chapter was somewhat difficult to write, because I kept mixing up Sub-Zero and Tundra. **

**-Sareena is probably one of my most favourite female characters in MK. **

**-How will Smoke react to his friend becoming Grandmaster? What will Bi-Han and Cyrax do? Will they become jealous? Will they support him?**

**-Will the Grandmaster's reformation of the Lin Kuei be simple?**

**-What perils will come his way?**

**-I don't know, read and find out!**


	3. When Things Go Wrong

**-This story mainly stars the Lin Kuei characters (again) as well as Nitara and Reptile. **

**-Also starring are Tanya and Reiko.**

**-Enjoy!**

Twilight set in Edenia as Kuai Liang had hastily returned to his Throneroom, as though he had been doing nothing at all. As soon as he returned, the young man found his older brother, Smoke, and Cyrax glaring at him.

"And WHERE have you been?! WHY are you wearing the Dragon Medallion!" His brother yelled.

"Don't tell me you were at the Lin Kuei Temple, Kuai Liang," Smoke interjected.

"Don't keep jumping down his throat," Cyrax said. "Let him explain, first."

Kuai Liang cleared his throat. "I returned to Earthrealm to visit the Lin Kuei Temple. Upon my arrival, I noticed that the place was overrun with cyber ninjas, conformed to the Grandmaster's will. Since he had died, they were running around the place by headless chickens. I donned the Medallion, as I am going to reform the clan. I then found a woman called Sareena in one of the chambers, who helped me reprogram the warriors. That is where I was."

There was a long, eerie pause.

"So let me get this straight, Kuai Liang," Bi-Han began. "You've run off to the _Lin Kuei Temple _and then spontaneously become their Grandmaster, and entered a partnership with a woman you probably don't even know?! And you have the audacity to tell _nobody _about this _before _you left?!"

_Well, shit_.

"Yes, Bi-Han. I don't see why that's a problem," Kuai Liang bravely retorted.

"It's not. Well, to an extent. I just wish that you'd have told us, is all. You could have been harmed and nobody would have been there to help you."

"But nonetheless, we are glad that you returned safe, Kuai Liang," Smoke piped up. "So, what do you have planned for the Lin Kuei?" The Enenra continued.

"To make it gender-equal, and a force of good. I also wish to build a temple in Edenia so that we are not constantly travelling between realms. I also wish to recruit you three."

Bi-Han felt a tinge of jealousy that his younger brother was the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, but was happy to help Kuai Liang. "Of course, Kuai Liang. I am happy to help."

"As am I," Smoke chimed in. Cyrax nodded his head.

"Perhaps we should maybe check out the Temple for ourselves," Bi-Han suggested. It had been a long time since he, Smoke, or Cyrax had visited the Temple.

The other males agreed to this suggestion, and with their teleportation powers, arrived in Earthrealm, in Arctika.

But there was something wrong.

_Cyrax was missing_.

_Outworld _

A young, voluptuous vampire strolled the lands of Outworld, searching for the entrance of the Dragon King's Incubation Chamber. She had been searching for an orb that, if shattered, would dissipate the connection between her realm and Outworld. This had been her mission, and she treated it as though it was some kind of prophecy. The woman had been walking for some time, until she came across a sparse desert.

She knew that nearby would be the Dragon King's chamber. The cave leading to it was nearby. She had studied the area carefully, and for long enough that she could remember it off by heart.

As the woman headed towards the cave, she noticed a green lizard wondering around aimlessly. She called out to him. The vampiress had decided he was going to help her, whether or not he liked it.

"You!" She hissed.

The lizard inclined his head to face her. "What do you want? I am searching for Kitana's army camp. Unless you have any information about it's whereabouts, get out of my face."

She chuckled. "Her army camp is in the heart of Outworld," she lied. She truly had no clue as to where it truly was. But there was no need in actually knowing where it was.

The woman pulled out a long, cerated sword. "This…is an artefact of the Zaterran realm. It is the Kirehashi blade."

The lizard snatched it off of her upon hearing it's origins. The vampire chuckled at how stupid he was. "That robot over there knows where Kitana's army camp is. Surely, if you beat him into submission, he'll reveal it's location."

_Lies are fun_, she thought. This creature was a fucking idiot.

The lizard charged towards the Lin Kuei cyborg and immediately started slashing at his armour. The cyborg laughed and jerked his arm upwards, snapping the bone. He used his buzzsaw to slash at the reptilian creatures chest.

This immediately frightened the lizard, who was unfamiliar to the attack. He quickly ran away with his sword.

The vampire approached the robot, her sultriness on full display.

"What do you want?" He hissed. The Lin Kuei cyborg was not happy about the fact that he had entered Outworld, instead of Earthrealm, where his comrades were based. His teleportation device often malfunctioned.

"I am Nitara. I need somebody to retrieve an orb from the Dragon King's Incubation Chamber. The orb will shatter my realm from this pathetic place they call Outworld…"

"And you want _me _to do it? Woman, you had that abomination attack me. For no reason. You've been feeding it lies about the Princess' army camp. Hell, she doesn't even have an army camp!"

"Do _not _raise your voice at me, cyborg. If you can retrieve the orb for me, I will return you back to Earthrealm. Or you can surely be left here to die. Your choice."

Cyrax wasn't entirely sure of what he should do. He didn't trust Nitara at all, but he didn't want to be stranded in the Outworld Deserts. He decided to help the sultry vampire.

"Fine. I'll do it. As long as you hold up your bargain at the end."

She grinned. "Good. Follow me."

_Lin Kuei Temple _

Tomas, Bi-Han, and Kuai Liang were at the place they once called home. The cyber ninjas were calm, and were instead training with eachother. This serenity made Kuai Liang and his allies smile.

"Well, this isn't too bad. I'm sure we could rebuild something like this in Edenia," Bi-Han spoke. "What do you think, Tomas?"

The Enenra nodded in approval. "I'm just curious about where Cyrax is."

"That transportation mechanism of his seems to be frequently malfunctioning. He probably ended up in Outworld," Kuai Liang told him.

_Netherrealm_

Reiko and Tanya had been reading the book about the Dragon King for quite some time now, and had been discussing a plan about how to lure Reptile in and use him as a vessel. He was the only warrior that they knew of that was similar to the Dragon King.

"Urgh. Reptile isn't easy to persuade at all. How are we going to trick him into helping us with our plan?" Tanya grimaced.

"Perhaps we use some kind of spell?" Her lover suggested.

"I suppose so. But our magic isn't that strong. The mind control wouldn't last very long."

The Outworlder sighed. Tanya was right. They didn't have the strongest magic. Shinnok was bound to the Netherrealm, so he wouldn't be of use.

"Perhaps we'll just have to let time run it's course."

**-Nothing seems to be going right for Tanya and Reiko. **

**-They're clearly oblivious as to how easy it is to fool Reptile. **

**-The Lin Kuei are going to be back in business. Tundra/Sareena is a definite.**

**-Cyrax/Nitara? Maybe, maybe not! **

**-Will they end up helping eachother?**

**-What perils await them?**

**-I don't know, read and find out! **

**-Please R&R! I know this story doesn't seem good at first but it's getting there…I think…**

**:D **

**Until next time,**

**TooCoolForPenNames.**


	4. Home, Sweet Home

**-Here is Chapter 4!**

**-I would like to thank astriabarken and Cold Recluse for their reviews, as well as the people who have favourite and followed the story.**

**-This chapter mainly focuses on Cyrax, Nitara, Reiko and Tanya.**

**-Enjoy!**

_Outworld _

Cyrax and Nitara had been walking in the desert for quite some time now. Nitara was surprised that she hadn't started deteriorating from the sun's rays, but quickly realised that it was only Earthrealm's sun that affected her.

"How long will it be before I can return home?" The cyborg complained.

"Silence!" The vampire hissed. "Do not question me. I am sure you have been on longer treks than this."

Cyrax sighed and continued walking. This woman was really starting to annoy him, to the point that he was ready to attack her. The cyborg wanted to brutalise her, and inflict more damage on the vampire than he had done to Sektor.

After about half an hour of walking further into the desert, the duo had finally reached the quicksand that would take them to the Incubation Chambers. Nitara sighed in relief and smiled to herself, while Cyrax frowned.

"About time," he said.

The vampiress turned and scowled at him, before heading into the quicksand. She started giggling at the odd sensation of the sand pulling her in. Whilst Nitara seemed to be enjoying herself, she was quite worried.

Cyrax followed suite. The armour made the quicksand take a lot longer than it had for Nitara, because of it's heaviness. Nitara soon fell through the sand, immediately after Cyrax stepped on it. As she was about to land on the ground below, Nitara's winds started flapping, and she used this mechanism of hers to land safely on the ground.

Almost 10 minutes later, Cyrax fell through the sand. He landed back first, and grunted from the pain. He stood up and stretched, attempting to crack his neck and back to relieve the pain. Any lesser man would have died if they had landed the way he did.

Nitara scowled at the cyborg. "What took you so long?"

He returned the glare. "If it wasn't obvious, _woman_, my _armour _is much heavier than the quicksand. Thus, it was much more difficult to do and therefor, took longer. Did I mess up your plan?"

The vampiress shook her head. She too, wanted to rough Cyrax up. But she wasn't as nimble as he was. Her teeth weren't sharp enough to penetrate his armour.

They continued walking, heading to the lowest level of the tomb. Along the way, they saw gruesome remains of humans. Spines and skeletons were scattered everywhere, and blood was smeared along the walls.

As they got to the bottom of the tomb, they saw that there was a small, rocky platform in the centre that stretched from the entrance to the middle of the room. The rest of the chamber was simply flowing lava. More remains were hung from the wall around them.

Nitara inclined her head to face the cyborg. "The orb is in the deepest part of the lava. I am sure that with your armour, you will be more than capable of retrieving the orb."

Cyrax reluctantly nodded before diving into the lava. He felt it slightly burn him, but he would continue nonetheless. The only thing that mattered was that he would be returning home after the ordeal.

Swimming further into the lava, Cyrax soon found the orb. It was a dark colour and glimmered brightly. Cyrax's mechanisms were soon deteriorating as he swam through the lava. He only had a matter of time to complete his mission, or else he'd die.

Quickly grabbing the orb, Cyrax swam as fast as he would with the orb in his hand. It took him about ten minutes before he could regroup with Nitara. The time he had spent in the lava had significantly ravaged his appearance.

The tired cyborg weakly handed the orb to the vampiress. She smiled and chanted a mystical incantation. Purple energy surrounded Cyrax, who started to heal and slowly vanish.

With her mission complete, Nitara smashed the orb, and a loud _BOOM _sound could be heard. It echoed throughout the chamber. Nitara soon fell to the ground, unconscious.

When she awoke, she found herself in Vaeturnus, her homeland.

_Netherrealm_

Tanya and Reiko were still discussing their plans of how to deceive Reptile, even though they had come to the conclusion of deciding to let things run it's course.

Tanya, being the stubborn, hot-headed woman she was, decided that action needed to be taken _now_, and would not stand to wait for anything to happen that would help them.

"Those kinds of things take too long," she protested. "And _you _know that, Reiko."

The sorcerer before her nodded, and sat deep in thought. "Perhaps we don't need Reptile in our plan."

"What? The book said so."

"Screw your fucking book. Since when were we dependant on writing, besides spells and ancient prophecies? We need to find the remains of the Dragon King's warriors, and bring them back to life."

"How are we supposed to do that? His quarters are in the deepest parts of Outworld. And how are we supposed to get the souls? It's not like Shang Tsung is alive, and Ermac is out of the question."

"Isn't it obvious, Tanya?"

The woman was still not understanding what he was trying to say. "No. Obviously not."

"We kill Raiden's chosen warriors. Once we have enough souls, we place their souls into the remains of the Dragon King's warriors. Simple."

"Us and _what _army?!"

Reiko chuckled at her. "I have found some elixirs that can strengthen us. But we must be careful in our dosage of it. It may kill us."

Tanya frowned. "That doesn't sound too convincing, Reiko, but I will do as you ask."

The sorcerer chuckled. "Good. Let's go. We must make haste. There is no doubt the Earthrealm warriors are planning something."

The duo headed into Reiko's chamber, where the elixirs were stashed.

**-I smell deception in Reiko's plan…**

**-I love how easy it is to characterize both Tanya and Nitara. Both fit into the 'I'm the sweetest bitch you'll ever meet' character archetype.**

**-The Deadly Alliance seem to be acting up…**

**-What will the Earthrealm warriors be up against?**

**-Will they lose, or prevail?**

**-I don't know, and neither do you. So read and find out!**


	5. True Love's Kiss

**-This chapter isn't as serious as most of them.**

**-It's not supposed to be. **

**-So before you bitch to me about that in the reviews, go back and think about what I've just said.**

**-Enjoy.**

_Netherrealm _

Tanya accompanied Reiko to his chamber to drink the elixir he had told her about. She was intrigued about it; the dark-skinned sorcerer said that it was strengthening, but could kill if you overdosed. Tanya could sense something fishy about this, so she kept her guard up.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Certain. It worked during Shao Kahn's invasion."

Her face suddenly lifted, as she didn't feel as doubtful as she was about the potion before. "Where exactly did you get this?"

"Shinnok forged it. He had me deceive Shao Kahn into thinking he would be able to merge Earthrealm with Outworld without the Elder Gods interfering. To be sure that my mission would work, Shinnok strengthened me."

Tanya's face fell once more. "But Scorpion killed you with such haste. Are you sure this potion _really _works?"

"Of course I am certain, Tanya. That ninja was much stronger than me. His magic is of a stronger capacity than mine."

"And you say that you're certain about the ability of these potions? Scorpion could kill you again, let alone another Earthrealm warrior."

Reiko sighed. "I think that you need to calm down, and trust me. _Everything _will be fine. The Earthrealm warriors' souls will be ours, and the Dragon King's warriors will be at _our _command. You worry too much, Tanya." He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly.

Grabbing the elixirs, both of them took small swigs of the blue potions. Energy surged through them, and they felt stronger than they ever had before. Tanya screamed in agony, as she wasn't used to this kind of strength. Reiko was used to it, however.

Both warriors fell to the ground after putting the serum away. Though the potion had strengthened them, the rush of power they suddenly felt made them feel sick.

As she lay unconscious, Tanya's doubts about the elixir returned to her.

_Earthrealm _

Cyrax had returned from the deepest parts of Outworld and found himself in Earthrealm. The yellow cyborg had no way of getting to the Lin Kuei temple.

He was tired, weak, and irritable. Cyrax would need some rest before continuing on foot. His teleporting abilities were still malfunctioning, so he was stuck there.

The yellow cyborg decided to take a risk and teleport to the Temple. Disappearing in a flash of yellow light, Cyrax's limbs detached from his body and he found himself at the Lin Kuei Temple.

_The woman must have fixed up my mechanisms. _

Continuing on throughout the Temple, Cyrax soon found his comrades. The Grandmaster, with Sub-Zero, Smoke, and a strange looking woman at his side, were standing in the Throneroom.

"Grandmaster," the cyborg called, alerting his allies of his presence. They inclined their heads to look at him, and smiled warmly.

"Your teleporting must have been acting up," Smoke said, his face in a smile.

"Indeed. I ended up in Outworld. Whilst there, I was attacked by a reptilian abomination. A woman then approached me and asked me to help her, in exchange of returning me to Earthrealm. I did as she asked, and here I am. I suppose her magic fixed up my mechanisms, as I was able to teleport here without any issues."

The brothers chuckled, while Cyrax inclined his head to face the woman standing next to Tundra. "It is good to see that you are well. Who is this woman?"

The demoness stepped forward, immediately upon being gestured to. She held an ornery grin as she approached the cyborg. "My name is Sareena. I'm a friend of Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. And you are?"

Cyrax cleared his throat, feeling slightly intimidated. "I'm Cyrax, a Lin Kuei. I'm also a friend of theirs." He didn't feel like saying much, as he felt, for some reason, that he was going to break. Sareena must have noticed this, as she chuckled heartily.

"So, what are the plans for the Temple?" The cyborg implored.

"We are going to find one in Edenia, as that is our new home. We must make sure it is an empty one, though. Can't have any crazy demons haunting it." Smoke heartily chuckled at his joke, whilst Sareena playfully scowled.

Cyrax nodded, smiling. "And what of Sareena? Is she joining us?"

The demoness spoke up. "Yes, I am. Is there a problem?!" She playfully growled. Cyrax felt that sense of intimidation return to him. _What is wrong with me? A woman has never made me feel this timid before. _

"Not at all," Cyrax seethed. "I was just curious."

"Good," she winked at him. "Now if you'll excuse me, Master Tundra, I'll be needing some beauty sleep." The demoness dismissed herself, returning to her quarters. Cyrax rolled his eyes, which the other males laughed at.

"How do you get _anything _done with her around?" The cyborg pondered.

"Tomas and I can do our work with her around. It's Kuai Liang that can't. Isn't that right, little brother?" Bi-Han playfully nudged him. "I've caught you staring at her quite a few times," the elder Cryomancer winked.

"Shut up, Bi-Han. You're just jealous because your girl isn't as hot as her," the younger Cryomancer shot back.

"OOOOOOO!" Tomas and Cyrax shouted in unison. The human voice and mechanical voice speaking at the same time sounded hilarious, as both of them found themselves laughing.

"I heard that, Kuai Liang!" A familiar voice perked up.

_Well, shit_.

The timid Cryomancer headed to his quarters, his face beet red. Tomas, Cyrax, and Bi-Han chuckled heartily at this.

As Kuai Liang headed to his quarters, and was about to lay down on the bed, Sareena suddenly appeared and pinned him down on the bed, at speed that would shame The Flash. Tundra's eyes widened as Sareena pressed her lips to his.

As the kiss ensued, the ice around Tundra's heart cracked and began to beat. Both of them had eyes that were now as black as charcoal, and it became evident when they pulled away from eachother and Kuai Liang roughly pushed Sareena onto his bed.

The Cryomancer gently placed her on his bed and locked the door. Returning to Sareena, Kuai Liang rained gentle kisses on her neck as she took off her boots and forearm guards. The Cryomancer began to remove her clothes as he devoured her neck. Her flesh was very sweet, and Kuai Liang loved how she tasted.

Sareena aggressively removed his clothing, teasing him by taking her time in stripping him. Sub-Zero eventually stood naked before her, his body on full display. Sareena liked what she say as she began to kiss Kuai Liang's neck, her lips forming a trail from his neck down to his nether-regions.

The demoness caressed his shaft, earning a low growl from the Cryomancer. Sareena used her tongue to taste Kuai Liang, the demoness liked how he tasted. His organ was cold but nice and felt good in her mouth. Kuai Liang resisted the urge to roughly fuck her face, but calmed himself down. The demoness liked how he writhed in pleasure from her ministrations.

As Kuai Liang was going to climax, which Sareena knew he was going to do, she took him out of her mouth. "That's not nice," Sub-Zero whimpered. The demoness let out a chuckle, "Not yet, Kuai Liang." She was referring to his climax.

It was then Sub-Zero's turn to please her. The Cryomancer firmly pressed his lips to her neck, travelling down to her breasts. He nipped, sucked, and licked at her firmly shaped bosoms. The Cryomancer loved how she tasted, as did he love the size of her breasts. He did not forget to please the other breast.

From Kuai Liang's ministrations, Sareena writhed constantly and moaned loudly. The Cryomancer loved seeing her react like this, as he knew that it was because of him. He continued kissing, from her stomach to her crotch. Sub-Zero cupped his hand and jammed his fingers into her flesh, making Sareena buck her hips at the sensations.

"Ah, Gods Kuai Liang! Don't stop!"

Much to the demoness' dismay, her lover stopped halfway. But he made up for it when he stuck his head inbetween her legs and indulged in her flesh.

Sareena was glad that he had stopped his prior ministrations, as what he was doing felt much better. She grabbed him by the back of the head and held him in front of her crotch. The taste was much sweeter than her flesh tasted, and Kuai Liang loved it. He could do this all day, every day if he wanted to.

"I'm going to cum! Don't stop Kuai Liang!"

Her cries of pleasure kept her going, but Sub-Zero remembered that she had teased him before, denying him of an orgasm. So Kuai Liang was going to do the same to her.

_She teased me, so I'm going to tease her_.

The Grandmaster eventually stopped, causing the demoness to whimper. "Why'd you stop! I was so close. That wasn't nice!"

He chuckled, "Because I was close before, but you stopped."

His voice was deep and husky, and Sareena loved the sound of it. Kuai Liang thrust himself into Sareena's tight entrance, and began to thrust relentlessly in and out of the demoness. She continued to moan and scream in pleasure as she was fucked by her lover. Sareena had missed how good Kuai Liang was in bed.

Kuai Liang lowered his head to her breasts, and continued on from where he had left off before. He sucked, nipped, and licked at her bosoms. She loved how he was always so eager to please her, and Kuai Liang loved how she was so aggressive in bed. It was a real turn on to him.

Both of them soon reached their peaks and lost themselves in each other's warm embrace. Kuai Liang had fulfilled his destiny, as had Sareena. The two knew that both of them would be safe and very happy with each other, and that nothing could get in their way.

The two lovers would be inseparable.

**-This chapter was….odd, to say the least.**

**-It wasn't as serious as the others. And it really wasn't supposed to be. I do like to have funny chapters in my stories.**

**-Tundra and Sareena have finally confessed their feelings to eachother. Woot woot! Yes, that lemon scene was used in another story of mine.  
-The Lin Kuei are finally back in business!**

**-Frost will be entering the story over the next few chapters. **

**-I think it's clear that Reiko was lying to Tanya. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out…**

**-What will happen in the next chapter?**

**-I don't know, read and find out. **


	6. Possession

**-I'm terribly sorry for the delayed update.**

**-School has been taking over my life and I haven't had time to do anything but homework and study.**

**-Whilst I continue to work on this, I am currently rewriting Rebellion. Once that is complete, I will be rewriting Earthrealm High and Desires, and then continuing on with my new upcoming fic.**

**-Enjoy.**

_Lin Kuei Temple_

Tundra and Sareena emerged from the Grandmaster's chamber, shortly after their lovemaking session. During that time, they had confessed their love for eachother and decided to give a relationship a try.

Kuai Liang sat in the dining room, eating his breakfast. He was thinking about Sareena, who was having a shower, as well as recruiting new members into the Lin Kuei. At this point of time, almost all of the Lin Kuei were cyberninjas, with only four humans. Unless, if Sareena and Smoke weren't counted, then there would be two humans, of course, considering that they were both demons.

The Temple was dead silent until Kuai Liang had decided to speak with Bi-Han, Tomas and Cyrax about his new idea about recruiting warriors into the Lin Kuei clan. Tundra hoped that it would be agreed on, but he could only hope. Whilst he, Tomas and Bi-Han shared a similar mindset, Cyrax had different opinions of almost every topic, which was what made having Cyrax as a co-runner of the Lin Kuei frustrating. Tundra knew that it would be rude if he kicked Cyrax out, and at times, Cyrax was a valuable asset to the clan. Overall, he was a good friend to Kuai Liang, so the blue ninja decided that it would only be fair to keep Cyrax.

Cleaning himself up and finishing his coffee, Kuai Liang headed into the Throneroom, where Bi-Han, Smoke and Cyrax sat, talking amongst themselves. Upon seeing Kuai Liang, they all stood up and bowed, a form of respect for the Grandmaster. Kuai Liang chuckled, as he had told his friends before that they did not need to do that. But it was good that they were still respectful to him, Grandmaster or not.

"Good morning Tomas, Cyrax, Bi-Han," the young Cryomancer greeted. "Are you well?"

The three men nodded in approval, and Tomas and Bi-Han smiled. "How come you are up so early? It's 5:30 am."

"We decided that we would try and get up earlier than you did, Grandmaster," Cyrax said with a smirk. "It clearly worked. I'm surprised we were awake before you. You're normally the earliest to awake out of us."

Kuai Liang smiled through his mask, and sat down with his allies. "So, I've been thinking about having a tournament to recruit more members into the Lin Kuei. We need more people if we're going to relocate in Edenia."

Tomas looked at his friend, "I think we should relocate first, before hosting the tournament. And what will happen to the person that wins the tournament?"

"They get recruited into the Lin Kuei, Smoke," Bi-Han said in a silly voice, as what the Enenra asked was an obvious question.

"Not only that," Kuai Liang followed on from his brother's sentence, "Each of us train the student. One of us trains the student one week, and another the next."

The other men were about to interject and say that doing so would be against Lin Kuei tradition, but quickly remembered that the clan was reformed. Things were _different _now.

"Well, alright. So long as that student doesn't hinder us in any particular way," Cyrax agreed. Smoke and Sub-Zero nodded in agreement with what Cyrax had said.

Tundra smiled, "Good. Now, we must travel to Edenia and find ourselves a temple."

_Outworld _

Tanya and Reiko had been in the Outworld desert for quite some time now. They were having difficulty finding the quicksand that would lead to the cave of the Dragon King. Both of them were becoming tired and irritable, and frustrated with eachother as each moment passed.

"How long do we have to keep walking for? My feet are really sore, Reiko!" The yellow-clad woman whined.

"We are not far from the quicksand, Tanya. It is further this way."

"We've been walking almost all day now! Can't we just have a break?"

The sorcerer growled. "Fine."

_Edenia_

Kitana had been feeling ill of late after waking up from a nightmare. The Edenian Princess tried to forget about it, but the more she tried, the nightmare continued to replay in her mind.

_**She was sitting in a dark room, being chained to a crucifix. A scantily-clad woman stood before her. Her unmasked face exposed her horrible visage, and Kitana fought hard to not look at her.**_

"_**Dear sister…" Mileena began, circling Kitana's chained body like a shark, "Do you ever regret what you did to me in the Flesh Pits? How you insulted me, and then killed me? You're probably too proud to remember it or even admit it, but even so, I enjoy torturing you with memories of your past.**_

"_**Now that you're with the Earthrealm warriors, you probably have gone 'soft.' People don't change overnight, Kitana. You're a killer, and you'll always be one. There's no way in hell that you can lose that part about you. And neither can your friend, Jade. Or your Lin Kuei friends.**_

"_**Stop it!" The azure-clad woman cried out.**_

"_**Have you had enough, Princess? Hahaha! I'll have you know, Kitana, that I never INTEND on letting you free from this torture! Not until I kill you will I be satisfied and be able to forgive you…" The half-Tarkatan starting cackling hysterically, before chanting a mystical incantation.**_

_**Mileena was then nowhere to be seen, and Kitana's anxiety levels rose. She anticipated Mileena to reappear behind her and kill her, but that wouldn't be the end of it. Mileena would probably go as far as torturing her before killing her, and then feeding her to the TaiGores. **_

_**Mileena reappeared shortly after, but Kitana could still not see her. She felt a nauseous feeling in her stomach and started to twitch uncontrollably. Her eyes glowed yellow and she started to scream in pain. **_

_**Kitana could then hear Mileena's voice in her mind.**_

"_**I'll have you know, Princess, that I'll never let you be. I have full control of your body, now. I have full control of your decisions! Ahahaha! And our first order will be to take control of Outworld…"**_

_**Kitana cackled as loud as a witch, finding solace in what Mileena had told her. **_

"_**You find it appealing. I know you do."**_

_**Kitana smiled and nodded. She found it more than appealing.**_

The Princess woke up shortly after, with teary eyes and a sweaty forehead. She had been feeling sick ever since that nightmare, and began to fear that her sickness was because what happened in the nightmare actually did happen.

Kitana looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, but instead of seeing herself, Kitana saw Mileena. The pink-clad woman cackled, "Hello, dear sister! How do you feel? More powerful? More sadistic? Like how you did in old times?"

Kitana screamed in fear and started to cry.

Her suspicions had been confirmed.

**-Well, shit.**

**-In case you didn't understand, Mileena's soul found Kitana's body and possessed it. So I guess you could say that Kitana has split personalities; the Kitana personality and the Mileena personality. It will be further elaborated in the story.**

**-Hope you enjoyed!**


	7. The Prophecy

**-This is the first time I have ever written a story with a character that goes mentally insane. I will try my best to do it.**

**-Forgive me if I don't do very well. **

_Edenia_

Kitana stood in front of the brown mirror that was in her bedroom. She was in distress about what she had seen. The half-Tarkatan abomination, known by some as Mileena and by some as the Princess' clone, had invaded her soul through some kind of magic. The invasion was skin deep, as Mileena became Kitana's reflection. The Princess' appearance had also changed rather drastically, as she had developed yellow eyes and a higher pitched voice.

**Come on, sweetie; let's go to Outworld. Reiko and Tanya are getting further in their plans to revive the Dragon King. We cannot have that if we are to take over Outworld**, Mileena spoke before letting out a loud, maniacal laugh that irritated the Princess further. Luckily, their dialogue was through telepathy, so nobody could hear what was going on, much to Kitana's dismay. The Princess really needed help to get rid of Mileena. The half-Tarkatan abomination was slowly taking over her life, and it would not be pretty once the clone had completely gained dominance of Kitana's body.

The Princess then found herself wondering aimlessly out of the Edenian Palace and heading to Outworld. Surely, this was Mileena's work. Kitana would never set foot in Outworld, even if her life had depended on it. The Princess tried to turn back, but Mileena's willpower and sorcery were stronger than that of the Princess', as the abomination had more control. So, Kitana would be wondering in Outworld for God knows how long until Mileena had decided to do something about it.

Kitana prayed that she would be safe.

_Outworld Desert_

Reiko and Tanya had finally gotten up from their resting place to find the Incubation Chamber of Onaga. Both were getting irritated with each other by the minute, and it didn't help that they were stuck in a hot place with no food or water. They were also very tired and Tanya's magic wasn't protecting them from the sun. The sorceress felt as if she was going to pass out, as did Reiko. They had been walking for hours in the heat of the sun.

The duo of sorcerers continued walking until they witnessed somebody familiar walking in the distance. The person they saw was dressed in a blue leotard with blue boots, gloves, and a mask. Her entire outfit had black accents. Her eyes were yellow and she had the appearance of pure evil.

The duo had identified her as Kitana. Though they could recognise her by her clothing, there was something off about the Princess.

"What the…" Reiko trailed upon seeing the Princess. What was _she _doing here? It would not be an everyday thing that the fair-skinned Edenian woman would be entering Outworld. Normally, she would be in Edenia or sometimes Earthrealm. It was only before the tournaments had stopped that the Princess would venture Outworld, as that was the side she was on.

"It's Kitana…" Tanya responded, her voice trailing too. Never would she expect to see the Princess again, after Shao Kahn's demise. Tanya and Kitana were never good friends. In fact, they weren't even friends. They hardly spoke, and by the looks of things, Kitana hated Tanya for betraying her native realm of Edenia. The dark-skinned woman's treason had earned her many enemies.

Not even _Mileena _liked Tanya, and the abomination hybrid didn't give a damn about Edenia. The late half-Tarkatan had animosity towards Tanya for trying to steal Baraka from her. Mileena had a dalliance with Baraka during the time of the second tournament, but that ended after she was found by Kitana and killed. With her competition out of the way, Tanya had the chance to steal Baraka, but ended up falling for Reiko instead.

But Tanya knew that their relationship was fluctuating due to them doing business together. They would have several arguments about the decisions both of them had made. It was not a healthy relationship at all. Tanya hated it. She wasn't sure if Reiko had noticed this or not, but since she had, the sorceress wasn't too worried if he had or not. When the time had come, she would speak to him about getting their relationship back on track.

Perhaps some steamy sex would help them. Tanya _had _been feeling pretty horny over the past few days and was hoping Reiko had been feeling the same way. She would use her seductiveness to earn herself some playtime with Reiko tonight.

The Edenian woman brushed her thoughts aside as she noticed that the Princess was coming closer. She prepared herself for kombat, as she noticed that Kitana looked _very _angry and wanted to punch someone. Reiko did the same upon seeing Tanya do it.

"Kitana?" Tanya spoke, her voice dripping with fear. Normally, the Princess wouldn't have had such an effect on the sorceress. But now, things were different. Kitana looked very fearsome to the point that she could have almost _anyone _at her mercy. Tanya and Reiko would surrender to her if it meant having their lives saved.

Kitana's eyes had gone from yellow to red. They were as red as blood. The Princess looked as if she was ready to kill someone; rip off their head and then chew on it – Mileena's infamous way of killing someone. Kitana laughed maniacally as she saw the fear on both sorcerer's faces.

"Hahahahaha! Not quite, Tanya!"

It then became clear as to what was wrong with Kitana. Mileena's soul had fused with the Princess', which was what made her bloodthirsty and psychotic. She looked at the duo and bared her fangs, revealing her fearsome teeth that could tear through steel. Mileena had used her teeth as a weapon in kombat. She would lunge at the opponent and chew at their flesh, thriving off the blood and guts that would come from it.

"By the Gods…" Reiko spoke, having understood what was wrong with Kitana. The Princess then lunged at him with superhuman speed and lodged a sai in his shoulder, causing the Outworlder to cry out in pain. The possessed Edenian giggled again before brutally roundhouse kicking the sorceress square in the side of her face. Tanya felt as if she had been kicked around an entire room as she crashed down, landing on the ground behind Kitana.

The possessed Edenian woman then stepped on Tanya's head three times before mercilessly kicking her away.

Having made short work of Tanya, the deranged Princess snarled at Reiko with the intent to kill him. She lunged at him and started to bite at his neck before tearing the sai out of his shoulder and stabbing him in the chest multiple times. She bit him again and then kicked him away.

Pleased with her work, the hybrid decided to leave and continue on her mission. Both of the sorcerers were bleeding, and if Kitana left them there, they would surely die of blood loss. Giggling at the thought of that, she ran off in pursuit of her mission.

To revive the Dragon King's warriors herself.

_Edenia _

The Lin Kuei warriors had migrated from Earthrealm to Edenia in pursuit of a Temple. So far, they hadn't had any luck whatsoever, and they were beginning to get quite frustrated.

Smoke, Sub-Zero, Tundra, and Cyrax were the ones that had been searching for the Temple, as they couldn't have all of the Lin Kuei searching for a Temple. It would be too chaotic, and there were too many people walking around. Once they had found a Temple, Cyrax would teleport back to the original Lin Kuei based and help bring the rest of the cyber-warriors and Sareena to their new base in Edenia.

After what felt like hours of searching, the group of males had come across a Temple. It was very large and somewhat plain, but would be good for the clan. Cautiously entering the Temple, they noticed that it had several rooms. The fact that there were lots of rooms already made it a contender.

The Lin Kuei warriors noticed that on the Temple, there were strange markings that looked somewhat demonic and seemed to represent a prophecy. One was of two boys wearing armour and holding swords that looked very powerful, and heading then fighting each other on a large pyramid. The winner of those two, who seemed to be the younger male, was then shown fighting a demonic creature on the pyramid. He defeated the creature and became the protector God of Edenia.

Smoke had seen the pictures about what appeared to be a prophecy, and his supersticiousness kicked in. The Enenra was convinced that since demons like him existed, that the demons that most people feared existed. He was also convinced that demonic creatures like the one depicted in the prophecy was real.

The Enenra found himself spooked out about what he had seen, and voiced his concerns to his clan mates. "I don't like it. Those picture of the prophecy scares me."

"Why, Smoke? That prophecy can't be real. It looks to old to be," Sub-Zero spoke.

"He's right," Tundra chided in, "Those pictures are very old. You can tell by the look of it. If it were done recently, it probably would have been in a painting form, not in the form of wall-writing. You worry too much, Tomas."

"Well, I suppose so, but I just want us to be safe, is all."

As if they had ignored what Smoke had said, Cyrax spoke up, "So, are we going to be staying here, Grandmaster?"

Tundra turned to the cyborgs and nodded. "Yes, Cyrax. You need to return to our original base and with Sareena's magic, create a portal to this Temple. Bring all of the Lin Kuei ninjas, as well as Sareena, with you. We can figure out what to do with our stuff once everybody is here."

Cyrax nodded, and teleported back to the base to do as he was asked.

** -I'm sorry if I didn't do too good of a job with Kitana's new character. I found her rather easy to write with.**

**-If anyone can tell me what that prophecy was about, what game's based on it, and who those characters were, I'll write a oneshot about any character/pairing you like. You must give me a name to credit you and also a description of what you want the oneshot to be about. **

**-So, that prophecy isn't real, is it? We'll see about that!**


	8. Reawakened

_Outworld _

Tanya regained consciousness after Kitana's assault, as did her lover. The dark-skinned woman sat up and rubbed her forehead. She felt as though a car had hit her. _Damn, Kitana must have really done a number on me._

The Outworld male felt nauseous from the stab wounds he had received, courtesy of Kitana. Reiko's magic healed the wounds and helped him and his lover to recover from their injuries, but as they were weakened, their magic was not as powerful as it normally would be. Reiko and Tanya felt like shit after the ordeal and knew that they wouldn't be going anywhere right now.

Managing to stand up, the Edenian woman clutched her stomach from the pain. "What do we do now, Reiko? We can't really go anywhere…" She trailed as the pain returned to her. It felt as though she had been stabbed multiple times with shards of glass and lashed with a steel-laced rope. The pain was unbearable.

The Outworld male felt like shit as well, and he couldn't understand how Tanya managed to stand up. Kitana's assault had done such a number on them that they weren't sure if they could continue on with their mission. But nonetheless, they would have to try, as the duo knew that Kitana could try to resurrect the warriors herself. They couldn't let that happen, as the power of all of the realms was not meant for the Princess. It was meant for _them_. Reiko and Tanya.

As Reiko stood up, he felt an overwhelming rush in him. The rush wasn't painful, nor was it exactly helpful, but he felt better somehow. Better so much that his magic had returned to him at full force. With his powers back, the Outworld male healed both him and Tanya.

"The resurrection can now begin…"

_Dragon King's Incubation Chamber_

The possessed Princess had made her way to the Dragon King's Chamber after having made short work of both Reiko and Tanya. As she walked to her destination, Mileena's voice lingered in the back of the azure-clad woman's mind.

**Reiko and Tanya are pathetic excuses of sorcerers. You easily overpowered them back there. Did you like that sense of power and commandment? Did you? You don't even need to answer that question because I know, as a matter of fact, that you did. You loved being able to brutalise people for fun. You always loved being 'The Blue Butcher.' You probably hate that nickname, Sister, but I love it on you! I think it suits you so!**

The Princess was becoming more and more irritated with her clone; so much that she shut the voice out of her head and ignored it. Normally, Kitana would never be able to do such a thing, but she somehow was able to do it this time.

The azure-clad woman headed further into the Incubation Chambers of Onaga. The chambers were gritty and had human remains scattered everywhere, on the ground and even suspended in the air. Spines and skeletons littered the floor whilst decaying human corpses haunted each room, their throats impaled with a hook that was hung up from the wall.

Kitana suddenly heard a door open by itself. Intrigued by the odd disturbance, the Princess entered the room without a qualm or fear about what was inside, or what would happen if she was to enter the room. The princess saw several erect coffins that stood upright, and noticed that there was demonic scriptures on the floor. They looked similar to the ones that were on Quan Chi's body. Said sorcerer had been dead for quite some time now, courtesy of his former enforcer Scorpion, Kitana's fiancée.

"_Kitana_," a voice said. The Edenian woman drew her fans, ready to attack the person who spoke.

Composing herself, Kitana spoke back, "Who's there?!"

"_Reawaken us…We have been in this slumber for too long…_"

"What are you talking about?!"

"_If you reawaken us, we will serve you, tend to your every whim. You will have all the power in the universe. Do it. Awaken us._"

The Kitana personality suddenly took over her body, and the Princess found that she was the one making decisions once more. "I will not! You will never be able to live again! You'll be stuck here forever!"

"_How disappointing. What ever happened to The Blue Butcher, the one that was the best assassin for Shao Kahn? His daughter? The ruthless woman who never gave a damn about anyone else but herself?_"

The Princess was really getting frustrated now. "I'm not that person anymore!"

"_We shall see…_"

Suddenly, a demonic woman burst forth from one of the coffins. She looked familiar. The woman wore a green shinobi attire, but without her mask. She held a prehensile staff that glowed purple.

Kitana recognised the woman as Jade. Her best friend, her true sister, and her bodyguard.

She gasped. "Oh my God, what happened to you?!" The Princess was near tears at this point.

"That doesn't matter, you insolent bitch! Fight me!" The mage growled.

Kitana couldn't take it anymore. She had to get out of there and return to the Kingdom to see if Jade was okay. Using her magic to teleport away, the Princess searched frantically for Jade. She desperately hoped that Jade was still alive, unlike the Jade she had seen whilst in the Chamber of Onaga.

"Jade! Jade!" She called as she searched for her friend. "Jade!" Kitana was growing worried with every second passing by.

Her worries subsided when she saw Jade, who was still a human, sitting outside with a green tea in her hand. The Princess decided to talk to her to make sure she was not seeing things.

"Jade!" The Princess greeted. The green shinobi looked at her ally and smiled. "Hey. Where have you been? I was getting worried about you."

_Oh shit. How do I tell Jade what I saw? That Mileena's soul is fused with mine through sorcery, and happened in a dream I had?_

"Promise me you can't tell anyone this? I'm really embarrassed about it."

Jade wondered what the Princess meant. Surely she wouldn't be cheating on Scorpion. No way. Kitana was not floozy like that. Brushing her thoughts off what Kitana could have to tell her, the bodyguard looked at her friend and nodded for her to continue.

"My lips are sealed."

Kitana nodded. "I had a dream…about Mileena. She somehow fused her soul into mine, and has some control over me. At times, I can't even make my own decisions. Because of Mileena's control over me, I went to Outworld to try and resurrect the Dragon King's warriors. Reiko and Tanya are trying to do that as well, Jade. We have to stop them."

"Hang on, wait a second," Jade began, "Mileena is now a part of you?"

The Princess nodded and looked at her friend with sad eyes. "Yes…I hate it. I don't know what to do about it. But I need to remedy it or else Mileena will drive me insane, and make me have no control over my body."

Jade nodded to show that she understood. "Nightwolf may be able to help you, Kitana, as he is capable of purifying souls and whatnot. Maybe you need to be cleansed and rid of the evil that plagues you."

Kitana nodded. "Whilst I was in Onaga's Incubation Chamber, I saw you there. You were covered in blood and looked demonic. I knew it was a mage, but I was still worried about whether or not you were okay. What are we to do about Reiko and Tanya?"

The green-clad kunoichi thought for a moment. "We must contact Raiden about what is to happen, and then enlist the help of the Lin Kuei and our fellow warriors that reside here, with us. No doubt Raiden will have the Earthrealm warriors on our side."

"Yes. That is best."

_Lin Kuei Temple_

Cyrax had teleported to the old Lin Kuei Temple in Earthrealm to help bring Sareena and the rest of the cyberninjas over. The Grandmaster told Cyrax that once everybody in the Lin Kuei had been brought to the new Temple that they would discuss and agree on a method of how to bring everyone's belongings into the new Temple from their old base.

"Hello, Cyrax. Where is Kuai Liang and the others?" The demoness addressed him.

"We have found a new base in Edenia, as that is where we live now. It is hard to keep crossing between realms for a clan. I have been told by Kuai Liang to bring you and the rest of the cyberninjas with me to our new Temple."

Sareena nodded. "Yes. You rally up the cyberninjas. I'll use my magic to conjure up a portal."

The two Lin Kuei parted ways as they went off to complete their respective missions. Cyrax headed into the main room to gather the cyberninjas, whilst Sareena muttered a mystical incantation that opened for her a portal to the Edenian Temple. Calling Cyrax over, the remaining Lin Kuei entered the portal and soon found themselves in the Edenian Temple.

The demoness immediately embraced Kuai Liang upon seeing him; the Cryomancer hugged her back and kissed her neck. Sub-Zero, Smoke, and Cyrax chuckled at their way of greeting eachother, but nonetheless, found it cute.

"You have completed the task given to you Cyrax," Tundra spoke. "Now, as a group, we must decide how we are to bring our stuff over from Earthrealm to Edenia. It will obviously have to involve sorcery."

"I could use my magic to bring our stuff over throw a portal," Sareena said. "But I doubt that'll be easy in any way."

Tundra, Cyrax, and Sub-Zero exchanged glances at eachother and nodded in agreement to Sareena's plans. "Alright," the Grandmaster said. "We'll get onto that tomorrow. Once we have completely organised our new base, we will hold a tournament to recruit another Lin Kuei."

** -Kitana has come to her senses (somewhat).**

**-Reiko and Tanya are back in business. Uh oh!**

**-Thanks for reading! **


	9. Power

Having been completely healed of their injuries at the hands of the deranged Edenian Princess, Reiko and Tanya stood up and decided to continue on their quest. They could use their teleportation abilities to get to the Dragon King's Incubation Chambers, and from there, resurrect the Dragon King's undefeatable army.

With her black magic, Tanya forged herself a soul pendant that would immediately capture the souls of anyone she killed. Her and Reiko headed into the streets of Outworld and decided to kill a ton of people, and use their souls to resurrect the Dragon King's Warriors.

With all the souls they needed, the duo teleported to the Incubation Chamber of the Dragon King, and noticed that one of the doors was slightly opened. Intrigued by it, they headed into the room.

They were amazed with what they had found.

In the room they were in were hundreds of upright coffins that the two sorcerers knew contained the remains of the Dragon King's army. With the soul pendant in her hands, Tanya decided to make haste and use the souls to revive the warriors.

_POWER WILL SOON BE OURS!_

Reiko used his powers to open up every coffin in the room, and with that, Tanya used her magic to transfer the souls of every person her and Reiko had killed in Outworld to the bodies of the warriors. The process was surprisingly quick, as once it was completed, the coffins disintegrated and the warriors burst forth.

"Impressive," Tanya spoke. This was what she and Reiko had been planning to do for a long time, and now it had finally happened. Power would be theirs. World dominance and control over each realm there was would be theirs. Tanya struggled to contain herself, as all of the power she realised she had was making her go insane.

"What should we do with them?" Reiko pondered. He wondered if they should use the warriors to attack the Forces of Light, but knew that decisions were ultimately up to both of them. Neither Reiko or Tanya could solely make a decision. Both of them had to agree on one, and they hated it. But it ended up doing them going anyway. At least most of the time, anyway.

"We should start with our world domination plans, Reiko. First, we start in Edenia, and then work our way into Earthrealm and head into Outworld. We don't have to worry about Chaosrealm and the Orderrealm. Nobody cares about those realms, anyway. The Netherrealm is already ours, so that eliminates that."

The Outworld male nodded, "Excellent. We should make haste. Kitana has probably informed the Earthrealm heroes of our plans."

Tanya nodded as she approached Reiko and firmly pressed her lips to his. The kiss was intense, rough and hot. Their tongues soon came into play, as did their travelling hands. Both of their hands slipped into the other's pants and caressed their bodies. As they kissed, Tanya's hands aggressively took off Reiko's pants, revealing an erect member. The Outworld male aggressively ripped off Tanya's dress.

With both of them naked, Tanya and Reiko made haste with their lusty dialogue. Ripping off Reiko's undergarments, Tanya's hands and tongue caressed his length and she used her hands to tickle his nuts. The Outworlder was in ecstasy from Tanya's ministrations.

Eventually he spilled into Tanya's mouth. The Edenian swallowed his juices, and liked how they tasted. She was not surprised, however, as she always thought that Reiko would be tasty.

The Outworld male eventually went to work on Tanya's body. Using his mouth and tongue to give Tanya a euphoria, Reiko did not miss a spot on her body. He licked, nipped and sucked at her flesh and continued from her neck to her breasts and her navel.

Reiko jammed his entire hand into her entrance, making Tanya buck her hips in ecstasy. The sorcerer continued his ministrations, and made her highly erogenous clit his focus. He then buried his face inbetween her legs and used his tongue to finish what his fingers had started. Tanya soon came in his mouth, and Reiko greedily swallowed her juices.

Picking the Edenian up, Reiko roughly pushed into her entrance, and began to pound relentlessly. He knew Tanya loved rough sex and would give her what she liked. Reiko also liked his bedding rough.

Both lovers eventually reached their climax. Reiko released a powerful turret of sperm into his lover, whilst a warm orgasm poured from Tanya's entrance and spilled onto Reiko's member. The duo hastily cleaned up and put their clothes back on.

_Earthrealm_

Jade and Kitana teleported to Earthrealm through means of sorcery, and started to make their way to the Wu Shi Academy, where they knew Raiden would be. The Thunder God was known to be found there due to his alliance with the Shaolin Monks, specifically Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Kai. Kai was Liu Kang's friend who had recently returned to the Shaolin Order after his prolonged absence. The Monk had gone on a quest to be in touch with his spirit and reform his ways in order to be worthy of the Order. The dark-skinned Monk had achieved his desired spiritual harmony and returned to the Order.

The two shinobis had reached their destination after a fifteen minute walk from the Warrior Shrine to the Wu Shi Academy. They had found Raiden conversing with Liu Kang and Kung Lao. What the three men were talking was inaudible to the women, but it didn't matter anyway. The Princess and her bodyguard needed to tell Raiden something, and it couldn't wait.

"Raiden," Kitana called out. The Thunder God and the two monks looked at the Princess and her bodyguard, "Greetings. What brings you here?"

"We would like to request an audience," Jade spoke. "Kitana has found out that Reiko and Tanya are planning to resurrect the Dragon King warriors."

The Princess suddenly had a vision of Tanya and Reiko resurrecting the Dragon King's warriors. The skeletal warriors burst forth from their coffins, and stood before Reiko and Tanya, ready to do as they would command. Kitana clutched her head, as if the vision had brought about a headache. She gasped and winced in pain and in horror of what she had seen.

"Are you alright?" Jade asked her, placing a hand on Kitana's shoulder.

"It's already happened, Jade. They've already resurrected the Dragon King's warriors. We're too late. I wished I could've stopped them." Kitana was now crying because of her failure. She mentally slapped herself for not being able to do anything to help her friends and Earthrealm, as well as her own world of Edenia.

"It is no fault of yours, Kitana. I am rather grateful that you told us," the Thunder God told her. Inclining his face to look at the two monks by his side, he spoke again, "Tomorrow, we must start gathering our warriors to combat Reiko and Tanya, as well as their army."

Both Liu Kang and Kung Lao nodded before bowing to Raiden and returning to their Shaolin Masters. Kitana and Jade smiled at the Thunder God, "Thankyou, Raiden. I am sorry I couldn't do anything."

"It is fine. Tomorrow is when we will start to make plans about how we should combat the invasion. I must go now. There is something important I need to do."

And with that, the Thunder God teleported away with a flash of blue lightning, leaving the two shinobis to themselves. As there was no other business they had with Raiden or the Monks, they decided to continue on with their other plan.

"With that taken care of, let's go and see Nightwolf. He may be able to help you with your problems," Jade said with a smile.

The two girls teleported to Nightwolf's hut, as it was too far away to walk to.

_Lin Kuei Temple_

With the help of Sareena's sorcery, the Lin Kuei had finished setting up their new base. Tundra liked their new Temple, as it was bigger and more useful. It was also much more secure.

With their new base complete, Kuai Liang could start preparing the tournament that was to happen in order to recruit another Lin Kuei warrior.

_Earthrealm_

Kitana and Jade had arrived at Nightwolf's hut, which was based in Arizona. The Shaman was in his home, meditating to calm himself down. He snapped out of his trance when he noticed that Kitana and Jade were there.

"Kitana, Jade," Nightwolf greeted. "It is good to see you. Come in."

The two shinobis did as he was asked, and walked into the Shaman's hut. It was very clean, yet plain. It was just like any normal house, and looked rather Spartan. The Shaman's house didn't mean anything to them, nor did it affect them in any way.

"The soul of my sister has been plaguing me for the past few days, Nightwolf. She merged her soul with mine through a dream, yet it somehow became a reality. Mileena sometimes takes full control of my body, and I cannot do anything about it. There is only so much I can do, and it's a rare occurrence that I actually can combat her actions," the Princess explained. Her voice was breaky and she didn't look very happy. Nightwolf figured that this was why the two girls had come to see him.

The Shaman would had wanted the girls to have come over for a visit, rather than come with an obligatory purpose. He thought of Kitana and Jade to be good people, in terms of personality and looks. But he was married, and they were in relationships, so nothing could happen between them in that department.

"Alright, Kitana. I'll have to prepare a soul ritual. Wait one moment."

The Shaman got up and headed into his basement. He grabbed a cleansing ether and went outside to set up a bonfire. Gesturing for the two women to come outside, Nightwolf instructed Kitana to stand in front of the bonfire. He then muttered a mystical incantation, from which both Nightwolf and Jade could see Mileena's soul leave Kitana's body. A loud scream was heard, and Kitana suddenly fell to the ground.

The Princess felt as if she was being bashed up. Her bodyguard ran to her side and helped her up. "Are you alright? You look really pale. Nightwolf and I saw Mileena's soul literally leave your body! Did you feel it?"

Kitana weakly nodded in response to Jade's question. The bodyguard could see that her friend was slowly losing consciousness from the ritual. Picking the Princess up, Jade thanked Nightwolf and left.

"Thanks so much, Nightwolf. I am afraid I must leave now."

**-Cliffhanger ending, I know.**

**-Will Mileena's soul truly have left Kitana's body?**

**-How far will Tanya and Reiko go in their quest for power? Will they succeed or will they fail? **

**-I don't know, read and find out! :D**

**-Keep those reviews coming!**


	10. Production

Jade had taken Kitana back to the Edenian Palace, the azure-clad woman had gone completely unconsciousness. Jade felt happy for her friend, as Mileena's soul would no longer be plaguing her. The green-clad woman liked to see her friends happy, especially Kitana. The azure-clad woman was Jade's best and first friend.

The bodyguard lay her friend's unconscious body gently on her bed and locked the door so that the Princess could sleep soundly. Jade watched over her friend to make sure she would be safe.

As the Edenian Princess remained in her unconscious state, she began to drift into a dream, a rather horrific one at that.

_**The azure-clad woman awoke in what appeared to be some kind of torture room, chained to a wall. She was completely vulnerable and would be unable to escape from her current position anytime soon.**_

"_**This room seems familiar…" she trailed. The Princess of Edenia remembered that she had been in this room, in the almost exact same vulnerable state as she was before, when that abomination fused her soul with Kitana's. The azure-clad woman began to cry, having lost all hope. She could see Mileena standing near her, staring her sister down as she cackled manically. **_

"_**Sister! How could you! Why did you remove my soul from yours? Where you beginning to think you had a chance against me?" The half-Tarkatan said. She ripped off her mask, baring her horrid teeth. The Princess wasn't scared. She was angry.**_

_**Kitana then had the sudden idea to teleport Mileena and fight the psycho bitch herself. Doing exactly what her idea told her, the Princess pounced on Mileena from behind and postured up, landing several punches on the clone's face. **_

"_**Mileena, I'm always going to have a chance over you. I'll always win against you, no matter what you do. Let us not forget that I WAS the one who KILLED YOU! Has your brain started to fog up now that you're dead? Or is it just that you're so stupid, like you've always been?"**_

_**The clone vividly remembered when her waist was cut in half by the Princess, and her face split in half by the azure-clad woman's fans. She felt embarrassed that she was killed by her mortal enemy, but Kitana thought of it as some kind of honourable memory.**_

"_**Stop it…" the clone whimpered.**_

_**The Princess continued on as though she hadn't heard what Mileena said, "I will always be better than you, Mileena." She stabbed the clone, "Why else would you think Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn favoured me and always chose me over you?" Another stab, "You'll never be loved Mileena, because you're just a damned clone." Another stab. "An impostor of me that'll never get far!" Another stab. "Your creation was a mistake. I can prove that to you right here, right now." Another stab.**_

_**Mileena was gasping for air, coughing profusely from Kitana's stabs. "Sister, please, have mercy…"**_

_**The Princess held Mileena up by the throat, "You think I'll have mercy after what you've done to me? After you took control of me and possessed me? Made my life hell and left me without control of my decisions? Think again 'Sister'."**_

_**The Princess brought Mileena into the main area of the torture room, where the torture machines were based. Kitana snickered as she saw a grinder in the room. "Perfect."**_

_**Mileena knew what she meant, "No, Kitana, stop it! Please don't kill me! I'll leave you alone forever! Please!" **_

_**Kitana's heart felt tinges of sorrow for her clone, but her mind told her to continue on with what she was doing. "Quiet, child. It's time for you to go back to Hell, where you belong." The Princess then threw the clone into the grinder.**_

"_**Screw you, you dumb slut! I'll see you there!"**_

_**As Kitana saw Mileena's body get crushed to pieces in the grinder, and a loud scream echoed throughout the room, she felt remorse. Waves of compassion for her clone washed over her, and the Princess felt extremely guilty for her actions. She wanted to resurrect Mileena somehow and apologise to her for everything, but knew that she probably couldn't.**_

"_**You probably will, Mileena. You probably will."**_

_**Kitana then realised that whilst Mileena's soul had left her body, her personality hadn't. The Blue Butcher would be returning to her, and there was nothing she could do about it.**_

Snapping her eyes open from the dream, Kitana began to sweat and cry profusely from what she had seen. Jade was at her side in an instant, and placed a hand on her shoulder protectively.

"Princess, what is wrong?"

"Mileena…she hasn't completely left my body. Whilst her soul has, her personality hasn't. What do I do, Jade? Mileena will probably never leave me alone!"

Jade sighed. She hated how Mileena was so persistent, and how it effected people. "What happened in your dream?"

"I woke up in a torture room, chained to a wall. Mileena appeared and starting talking to me about the soul ritual with Nightwolf. Then I teleported behind her and started attacking her and insulting her…I had had enough of Mileena's antics at that point. I then threw her into a grinder, and killed her again. She said that she'd see me in hell, and I told her that she probably would."

The Princess broke down again after explaining this to Jade, who hugged her tightly. She was glad that Mileena had gotten what she had deserved. "You'll be fine, Kitana. I'll be with you. We can get through this together."

Kitana whispered a 'thank you' before drifting back to sleep.

_Outworld _

Tanya and Reiko had finished their lusty playtime, and were ready to get back into business with the Dragon King's warriors at their command. They had previously negotiated about making Edenia their first stop.

Having put their clothes back on, they teleported themselves and their warriors to Edenia. Directly in front of the Palace, Reiko and Tanya would have their newly resurrected warriors do most of the work for them.

"What should we do, Tanya?"

She thought for a moment, "We should have our new warriors destroy the Palace. From then, we'll go onto killing the Earthrealm warriors. Sound like a plan?"

The Outworld male nodded, "Definitely. Let's go."

_Lin Kuei Temple_

With everything organised in their new base, Kuai Liang could start making preparations of the tournament he would have to recruit a new Lin Kuei warrior.

He imagined to himself what they'd be like. Would they be a boy or a girl? Would they be skilled or have no skills at all? Kuai Liang knew that was a rather stupid thought, as they would need to have skills in order to win the tournament and go onto be his student. Well, not just _his _student, but also that of Bi-Han, Cyrax, Smoke, and Sareena. The demoness had been officially made a member of the Lin Kuei since their relocation.

He returned to his thoughts. Would they have any powers; if so, what? Would they be a Cryomancer, an Enenra, or a demon? Would they have any similarities in any way to their clanmates? The Grandmaster's thought about his would-be student.

The Grandmaster wondered how he would inform people of the tournament. It would be a bit weird if he had his Lin Kuei go out into the world and tell people of the tournament, so he scrapped that idea. Kuai Liang came up with other ideas, but they were either irrelevant or useless. The Cryomancer concluded that he would write a flyer about the tournament and have his Lin Kuei post it on every building in Edenia and Earthrealm there was.

Quickly typing the details of the tournament on his computer, Kuai Liang read it constantly to make sure it was correct. Satisfied with it, the Grandmaster printed out over one hundred copies of the flyer, and called the cyberninjas over to his office.

Handing out at least one hundred copies to each of them, Kuai Liang spoke, "I want you to put these on every building in Earthrealm and Edenia. We need as much competitors as we can. Off you go."

The cyberninjas left the Temple and started off in Edenia, and then worked their way to Earthrealm.

**-Yes, I am aware that it is probably not likely of Kuai Liang and/or the Lin Kuei to have a computer. But it's my story, and for this, him/they do. Besides, he's the Grandmaster, so I think it'd be logical to give him lots of benefits. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Rage

Some of the cyberninjas had gone to Earthrealm to complete the task given to them by the Grandmaster, whilst some had stayed in Edenia to complete the task. Eventually, each building in those realms had a flyer on it about the upcoming Lin Kuei tournament.

All of the cyberninjas rendezvoused in Edenia, near the Palace. They could see two dark-skinned warriors standing outside it, madly laughing as it was being destroyed. They all looked at each other before teleporting away from the dangers nearby.

Having arrived in the Lin Kuei Temple from their teleport, the cyberninjas immediately rushed to their Grandmaster's office. Kuai Liang was shocked about the sudden burst of cyberninjas in his room.

"What is the meaning of this!" Tundra growled as he scowled at the ninjas.

"Grandmaster," the cyberninja at the front said. "The Edenian Palace is under attack. Two dark-skinned people are standing in front of it. We cannot recognise them, so we thought that you and the other Lin Kuei could."

Kuai Liang's eyes widened. He knew exactly who those people were. _Sorcerers…so pathetic_. "Thankyou for telling me. I will remedy it right away." With that, the Grandmaster left his office with the intent of telling Tomas, Sareena, Cyrax, and his brother about what was going on. His friends were going to die in there. Kuai Liang had to help them.

Rushing to the main room of the tournament to tell his friends of this disturbance, Kuai Liang could feel his heart quickening at the thought of losing his friends to two naughty sorcerers who were just bastards that wanted power and could never ever have it.

"Bi-Han, Smoke, Cyrax, Sareena! We must go to the Edenian Palace. It is being ravaged as we speak. Our friends are in danger."

Sub-Zero immediately thought of Jade, whilst Smoke immediately thought of Skarlet. Their respective partners were in the building as they spoke. It would go without saying that they would be at their side.

Without saying anything, Sub-Zero and Smoke bolted out of the Temple and rushed towards the Palace. He immediately froze Reiko and Tanya upon seeing them in front of the Temple, covering their bodies with several blankets of ice so that they would be frozen for a while. Smoke, Tundra, Kuai Liang and Sareena followed them.

The Edenian Palace was a mess. Tables and chairs had been flipped and broken. Glass chandeliers that were suspended in the air were shattered on the floor, their remains dangerously littering the floor. They could easily cut through flesh and leave dangerous marks.

Skarlet and Jade were tag-teaming on some of the warriors. They were winning the fight; the speed and strength of the shinobis was surprisingly higher than that of the resurrected warriors, most likely because the souls that inhabited them were the ones of mere mortals who had no fighting experience. Even as they fought, Skarlet and Jade were doing their best to protect the sleeping Kitana, who surprisingly, even with all the noise being made from the ongoing battle, was still in her slumber. The two shinobis had to protect the Princess, or else Queen Sindel would scream at them. That, and the Princess was too good of a friend to them for those girls to simply let her die. Kitana had done a lot for both of them, so letting her die without honour would simply be unkind and not fair. Especially since the azure-clad woman was going through so much at this point of time.

_Kick, slash, slash _was the main combo Skarlet was using to combat the warriors. The hemomancer was getting frustrated with the warrior's surprising resilience and decided to end things now. She was also craving blood…

Skarlet licked her lips at the thought of the crimson fluid. Unsheathing her swords, Skarlet stabbed the warrior in the ear, and then inclined it's head to face her. She then slit it's throat, causing blood to cascade onto her face until it fell to the ground.

The blood of the warrior was absorbed into her skin, and made Skarlet feel much stronger than she did before. The hemomancer looked at Jade, "Wake up Kitana. We cannot stay here much longer."

The green kunoichi nodded and went into the Princess' room to do as asked, whilst Skarlet teleported into the main room of the Palace. She was horrified with the amount of mess made in the room. Broken legs and arms of chairs, broken class as well as other objects littered the floor. It disgusted Skarlet, but also amazed her. _If these warriors are so weak, why does their blood make me strong? And why are they capable of breaking such objects so easily? _

Tundra, Sub-Zero, Smoke, Sareena, Cyrax and Scorpion had made short work of the warriors in the main room. Sindel had just finished one off, using her banshee scream to make it's head explode. Ermac had ripped another apart with his telekinesis.

"Skarlet!" Smoke called out. The hemomancer's mood immediately perked up when she saw her boyfriend. She had not seen him in a few days and had definitely missed the Lin Kuei. Running to Smoke's side, the red assassin embraced him and gave him a kiss.

Turning to face Sindel and the other heroes, Skarlet spoke, "Kitana is being awoken by Jade. I take it that all of the warriors have been killed?"

They nodded at Skarlet's question, and Kitana and Jade suddenly made an appearance. The two kunoichis stood by Skarlet, who greeted the two with a warm smile. "It is good that you're here. Did you sleep well, Princess?" The hemomancer teasingly asked. "All jokes aside, we must keep our guard up. I doubt all of those warriors have died. There wasn't that much of them, so I don't think that this is the end of it."

There was a long, eerie silence after Skarlet spoke. _Clearly, my suspicions have been confirmed_.

A black skinned man and woman burst forth from the doors. "No, I suppose not Skarlet. Very few of those warriors were sent to do our dirty work. Now that they're done with, it's our turn to do the dancing."

With that, all of the warriors charged forward and attacked. Skarlet, Kitana, Jade, Sareena and Sindel teamed up to attack Tanya. "Well, this is a bit unfair, don't you think ladies? I thought Edenians were supposed to have mercy. But I can understand the unfairness with _that thing _over there," the dark-skinned woman said, referring to Skarlet.

The hemomancer took offense to what had been said about her, and immediately charged at the sorceress, attacking her with a flurry of blade slashes. Tanya screamed in pain as she was cut by the sharp weapons. The red assassin then flipped forward and delivered a brutal palm strike to the woman's nose, and followed up with a brutal reverse kick to the eye.

Sindel took advantage of Tanya's moment of weakness, and used her banshee scream to daze the Edenian traitor. The scream was loud enough to daze her partner as well. Smoke, the two Cryomancer brothers, Cyrax, and Scorpion were struggling against Reiko, but with the distraction made by Sindel, the five males could easily defeat their enemy.

After many hours of fighting, the sorcerer duo had killed Kitana, Jade, Smoke, and Cyrax. The sight of their fallen comrades on the ground, bleeding profusely made the remaining heroes angry beyond imagining…

The sight of her lover laying dead on the ground made Skarlet go insane. She lunged at Reiko with the intent to kill. The red assassin attacked Reiko with her kunai, the four deadly daggers impaling her enemy in the chest. The trio of Skarlet, Bi-Han, and Scorpion teamed up to get revenge of their fallen comrades.

Whilst Reiko was being brutalised by three deadly shinobis, Tanya used the distraction of the heroes to absorb the soul of everyone who had died, and escaped, leaving her lover to die at the hands of the angry and vengeful heroes. As she had stated many times before, Tanya was a survivor. She had lived in many situations where death seemed possible through means of treachery.

Hanzo and Bi-Han had made sure that they would brutalise Tanya in turn for killing their lovers next time they saw her…

** -Reiko has died again, and yes, he will be resurrected again. **

**-I think you can guess what's going to happen to Kitana, Jade, Cyrax, and Smoke. (No hate please!)  
-We have gotten past the events of Deadly Alliance.**

**-Deception is where we are heading to next, and then Armageddon. **


	12. Suffering

** -I'm really trying to put emphasis on the pain that Skarlet, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and the Lin Kuei are feeling at the moment due to the deaths of their loved ones. So I'm sorry if this chapter seems rather dark and sad.**

Everybody who has survived the ordeal that occurred last night, including the rest of the Lin Kuei, were grieving over the deaths of their loved ones, who had died at the hands of the Deadly Alliance. They were terribly distraught about not being able to save them, and were constantly condemning themselves for their lack of action taking to save their fellow comrades.

Scorpion had loved the Princess more than he loved his clan. The resurrected demon had been in love with the Edenian Princess throughout the second tournament that took place in Outworld. As he thought of his late fiancée, Scorpion remembered when they had sex for the first time.

She had come onto him. Hanzo was surprised over how _she _was the one who wanted the deed. In most situations, it was the other way around, as the male was almost always horny in most relationships and really wanted to get it in at one point or another. Scorpion remembered how much of a beast she was in bed, and how Kitana was always so enthusiastic to try new things.

The Princess was all Scorpion thought about as he grieved for his love. He knew that Kitana had been killed unjustfully, alongside his friends Jade, Cyrax, and Smoke. Though he mourned his friends as well, he mourned his love more than anything.

Scorpion had noticed that Kitana had been acting strange lately. He wished that he could have been there for her, rather than be oblivious and feel out of place in doing so. The yellow ninja started to drown himself in his tears as he thought of the Princess.

Her death had affected him so much that Scorpion could not bring himself to be in the Palace, as he knew that her ghost would come back to haunt him. Hanzo Hasashi had relocated to the Lin Kuei Temple to get away from his pain. He knew that he wouldn't be the only one hurting, as his ally, Bi-Han, was hurting from the loss of Jade.

Scorpion wanted nothing more to get rid of the pain brought about by the thought of Kitana's death, so he tried his best to shut off all thoughts about his dead lover. He instead thought of what he would be doing to get revenge against both Reiko and Tanya. Scorpion had killed Reiko three times now, and would be more than happy to repeat history. As for Tanya, it would probably be another tag-team effort between him and his allies who wanted revenge against the female sorcerer.

The atmosphere in the Lin Kuei Temple was rather gloomy. They had lost a lot of friends and loved ones, so nobody in the base was exactly a happy camper. Tundra was there for his older brother nonetheless, but was grateful that he hadn't lost Sareena. The Lin Kuei cyberninjas felt bad with themselves for not intervening on their allies behalves, as they had stood in the Temple doing nothing but awaiting their allies return. But they were simply following orders, and neither Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, Tomas, Cyrax or Sareena had given them any specific instructions, so what could they do?

Whilst Tundra wasn't exactly as sad as the others about not having lost their significant other, he was still upset that he had lost Smoke. Tomas Vrbada was the only other person Kuai Liang spoke to besides his brother. Cyrax and Sektor were often together and bullying Kuai Liang and Smoke. It was their cruelness that brought out a darker side in the Enenra and the Cryomancer siblings. Sektor and Cyrax payed dearly for how they had treated them, but it was never their fault. Sektor was the son of the Grandmaster, so he was always treated with upmost respect. Even so, Kuai Liang and Bi-Han were the son of the second-in-command of Sektor's father, but they were always beat within an inch of their lives when they attacked Sektor. Their father always treated them as though they were nothing but mutts, whilst Sektor was given special treatment, as was Cyrax. Cyrax was nothing but an outsider, but Kuai Liang concluded that the African male was treated kindly because: a) he was a friend of Sektor, and b) it would be considered racist.

The Cryomancer thought about his late friend, who he had considered as a brother. Kuai Liang tried to remember the good times that he and Tomas shared, but it was very hard. All that came to his mind when he thought of Tomas was his dead body lying on the ground before him.

The Enenra had been stabbed to death with Reiko's shurikens, or ninja stars. Kuai Liang saw a copious amount of blood pouring from his chest. The last thing he saw before he completely lost his mind to anger was Tomas appearing before the Cryomancer in an apparition.

_Avenge me, _the Enenra said to him. And that was when Kuai Liang completely lashed out at Reiko. The Cryomancer wondered how Skarlet felt, as she was in a relationship with Tomas. He wondered how the hemomancer thought when she saw the Enenra's dead body.

Tomas was Skarlet's first. Her first kiss, her first love, her first boyfriend, and her first time. The hemomancer felt angry at Tanya more than she felt sorrow for herself. But ironically, she felt more sorry for his Lin Kuei brothers. They had grown up together and known eachother since forever, so the red assassin couldn't imagine how much it would hurt them to see their brother's dead body before them.

Skarlet could not bring herself to enter the main room, as that was where she saw Tomas' body. The copious amount of blood that covered his body was terrifying to Skarlet, as much as it looked delectable. Since then, his body had been buried in the Edenian Graveyards nearby the Palace, and the hemomancer had gone to visit it today.

Standing over her loves grave, Skarlet crouched down. "Hello, Tomas," she spoke calmly. "I've been thinking about you a lot since you've died. I know it's only been not even a day, but I miss you more than anything. Your jokes, your humour, your beautiful smile and look, your kindness and gratefulness…Gosh, I could go on forever with this rant," the red assassin was crying now. "How long do I have to wait for you to come back to me, Tomas? Before I can have you at my side again?" Tears began to pour out profusely, making her makeup look horrible. The makeup on her face was smudged, and her face was red and her eyes bloodshot.

The hemomancer could not do this anymore, as she knew that since she had started crying over Tomas now, she probably wouldn't stop. "I have to go now, Tomas. Don't forget about me. I love you," she said as she kissed her hand and touched the gravestone before teleporting away.

As Skarlet returned to her chamber, and was ready to go to bed, multiple apparitions of Tomas appeared to her. The hemomancer gasped at this, and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. _Am I dreaming this? Surely this can't be really happening. Tomas is dead. I saw it with my own eyes._

"Get over me, you stupid bitch," one of them said.

"We never had anything special. I don't know why you're grieving like how you are."

"I'm not even dead! Get the fuck over yourself!"

"Stop this. You're supposed to be a creation of Shao Kahn, not a soft Earthrealm warrior. Do not dishonour yourself by joining them. You've ruined what good reputation you had left, you stupid girl!"

Skarlet was slowly reduced to tears with what Tomas was saying. "Why, Tomas? Why are you being so mean to me?"

"Do not refer to me by my real name, you stupid girl! I am called Smoke…and I can treat you however I want. You meant nothing to me. I was simply enjoying your body. I was planning to do something like this ages ago, but now is more than the right time. It's perfect. And now that I've gotten my fill from you, I'll just ditch you in search of another harlot that falls for me."

Skarlet realised that this wasn't the real Tomas, as he never acted like this. He loved it when she called him Tomas, and knew that he wasn't the type of guy that simply got with a woman to 'get his fill' from them and abandon them completely. The red assassin wiped her eyes before speaking again.

"You're not yourself, _Tomas_. I'll have you know that I can call you whatever I want. Frankly, whilst we were together, you loved it when I called you Tomas. Old habits die hard, Tomas. So get used to it, as it's not changing anytime soon."

"Skarlet, this is who I am. I'm a demon. How could you not see this from me? This is what happens when you truly trust a demon, you stupid girl."

And with that, he was gone.

_If Smoke's been resurrected since his death, then I think Kitana, Jade and Cyrax might be as well. I have to tell my Lin Kuei friends this, as well as Queen Sindel_.

** -What do you think has happened to Smoke? Why did he act like how he did? Answer this in the reviews.**

**-I'm sorry for this chapter being really gloomy, but I wanted to make it that way.**

**-Poor Skarlet. I'm trying my best to make her character similar to her character in Rebellion, but as theyre two very different stories, it's much more difficult than anticipated. **

**-Hope you enjoyed! R&R welcome. **


	13. Rebirth

**This is where the story gets a little explicit. I know I've 'censored' the past sexual scenes between Kuai Liang/Sareena and Reiko/Tanya but now I can write it in pure detail now that its changed from T to M. Keep those reviews coming guys! Or else…**

With the souls of Kitana, Jade, Smoke and Cyrax, Tanya returned to the Netherrealm with the hopes of resurrecting those four warriors to serve her and Reiko. As Tanya thought about her plans regarding the Earthrealm heroes that she and Reiko had killed in the Edenian Palace, the dark-skinned woman's mind suddenly thought about Reiko. He had been killed by the remaining Earthrealm heroes, specifically Skarlet, Sub-Zero, Tundra and Scorpion. Shinnok had gained his soul upon Tanya's request, as she wanted to bring her beloved partner back.

With everything ready, the Edenian traitor could now begin her plans. She placed the amulet that Shinnok had given her in the palm of her hand. That amulet was the one in which the sorceress had the souls of the Earthrealm warriors trapped in. The Edenian woman began to mutter a mystical incantation, and the souls in the amulet suddenly flew out and materialised into the bodies that they once inhabited. The only difference now was that their bodies were much more demonic and had cracks all over their skin. Their eyes were blood red and angry. They were the depiction of pure evil.

The sorceress was pleased with her work. Those four warriors would be damned to serve her. Nobody could help them, as their souls belonged to Tanya. The magic that bound them to her was so strong that it take almost a lifetime to undo. But even then, defection might not have been possible.

With four new warriors at her command, as well as the rest of the Dragon King's warriors who hadn't been wasted in the Edenian Palace, Tanya decided to resurrect her lover. Having trapped his soul in her amulet as well, the Edenian muttered a mystical incantation, one that was different from the first one she spoke. Reiko was soon born again, but did not look like the Earthrealm warriors that he and Tanya were soon to command.

Now that Reiko was back to life, it would now be time to make haste. The Edenian woman used her magic to send the warriors away and approached her lover and wrapped her hands around him lovingly, "Hello darling. It is good to see you again." Those words were spoken in a mellow yet husky voice, and was in a tone equal to a whisper in Reiko's ear. The Outworld male rained kisses along his lover's neck and growled in reply, "It is."

Tanya could tell that the man was enjoying this, so she decided to have a little fun with him. The Edenian took her lover to her chamber without further ado. Grabbing his pants teasingly, Tanya ghosted her hands around Reiko's growing length. The sorcerer let out a low growl as he pressed his lips to hers and groped her butt. They continued the kiss until air became a need.

Their bodies were no longer pressed against each other, but that allowed their fun to continue. Tanya teasingly took off Reiko's pants, and hastily dropped them to the floor when she was done. The Edenian could see that he was 'pointing' to her, and his arousal encouraged her. Tanya aggressively took his undergarments and once again ghosted her hands around the length. Reiko watched Tanya with a hazy and pained gaze as she laid him flat on the bed and placed both hands on his thighs. The Edenian gave him a devilish smile as she lowered her head and took him in her mouth.

Reiko let out a long moan in ecstasy. He loved how good he felt in Tanya's mouth, as well as how warm her mouth was. The Outworld male pounded roughly in and out of her mouth as she sucked. The Edenian traitor used her tongue to lick the shaft and the head. Reiko was in heaven.

His moment of pleasure abruptly ending when Tanya pulled out of his mouth. The Outworld male was disappointed that she hadn't allowed him to climax, as he was on the verge of blowing his load in her mouth. Reiko, who's eyes were black with lust, aggressively ripped off Tanya's dress and undergarments and hastily treated himself to her flesh.

The Outworlder nipped, licked and sucked from her neck to her breasts. Reiko's tongue flickered across the buds and sucked on them, hard enough that it probably left a hickey. He continued his ministrations from his breasts to her mound. Reiko rubbed a finger in a circular motion on her navel, and eventually replaced it with his tongue.

The Outworlder male spread Tanya's legs so that he could please her further. There was not a spot on her mound that Reiko missed. After a few licks, the sorcerer placed his mouth on her navel and massaged, nibbled and even gently nipped her clit. Tanya was on cloud nine; her eyes were rolled to the back of her head and she was moaning loudly. She loved it when Reiko ate her out. It was a likewise feeling during sex; both of them were good in using their mouths in sex.

Tanya suddenly came in Reiko's mouth without warning. The Outworld male was rather disappointed, as he wanted to delay her orgasm like she had his. Reiko swallowed her juices and licked his lips, savouring the taste. He loved how she tasted; inbetween her thighs she tasted like raspberries and cream.* The sorcerer firmly pressed his lips to hers, and Tanya could soon taste her juices on his tongue. The duo had a tongue war which Reiko won. He was winning from the start to finish. Tanya could never keep up.

Lifting her up and pressing her against the wall, Reiko slide his length into her warm entrance. The Outworld male pounded relentlessly in and out of her. Tanya screamed and moaned in pleasure as she was fucked hard by her lover. The Edenian woman indeed liked her 'bedtime' rough. Oh she did. That was why Reiko was never gentle when it came to bedding her.

They continued like this for several hours. Tanya forced her lover's head down onto her breasts. Reiko didn't have to be told what to do. He opened his mouth and indulged on her flesh. There wasn't a spot the Outworld male missed. He truly loved the taste of her, as it was rather sweet. But nothing could compare to the taste of her navel.

Both sorcerers eventually reached their peaks. Tanya's juices spilled onto Reiko's member, and his seed spilled into Tanya's entrance. The Outworlder's eyes returned to their normal, as did his lover's. The duo hastily put their clothes back on and lay together on the bed, embracing each other lovingly.

_Outworld_

Reptile had returned to Outworld from Kitana's 'army camps,' having found nothing of what he was looking for. The vampire had betrayed him, and lead him on a pointless quest. The Saurian was very angry and very tired. If he saw her again, he would feast on her head.

He could smell her scent nearby, and figured that she must be near. Carefully following the scent, Reptile found himself in Onaga's Incubation Chambers. The vampires' scent was even stronger as he trekked through the cave.

The place hadn't changed at all. Spines, skeletons and skulls littered the floors, and blood and rotting corpses were on the walls. That, or corpses littered the air, behind suspended from hooks or being hanged from rope. Either way, dead bodies and gruesome remains were the main features of the Dragon King's chambers.

Reptile followed Nitara's scent and eventually found himself in the tomb at the very end of the cave. That area was where an orb was kept that had Outworld merged with Vaeternus, the realm of the vampires. As he ventured further into the cave, Reptile was soon attracted by a deep voice that was in the room.

"_Reptile_," it spoke. "_Come to me_. _Bring me back to life._"

Out of fear, the Saurian did as he was told. Reptile soon found that the voice was coming from a cracked egg that oozed green energy. The green-clad abomination thought that this was an egg of the last Saurian, and approached it excitedly.

But this was not the case, which he soon realised. As he approached the egg, green energy shot out from the egg and attached to Reptile's body. The energy soon transformed Reptile into a beastly creature that was more powerful than Shao Kahn himself.

The Dragon King had returned.

** -Dun dun dun! Deception has just begun. **

**-What will the Dragon King do to throw the Earthrealm heroes into jeopardy?**

**-*That was said in American Horror Story: Murder House by a character. Who said it? It was a boy and a girl. If you can tell me it in the reviews, well…You can tell me it. **

**-Chapters 14 and 15 coming soon. **

**-Hope you enjoyed!**


	14. The Tournament Part One

**-I had honestly forgotten to bring Frost in to this story. But in this chapter I am making it all about her and the Lin Kuei. **

Having gotten over their grief, the Lin Kuei clan decided to act on their plans regarding the tournament. Sub-Zero had gotten a lot of responses about the tournament, which was to commence today. Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, Sareena and the cyber-ninjas were preparing their new Temple for the upcoming event. It felt extremely quiet and out of place without Smoke and Cyrax, but the silence was somehow deafening to the surviving members of the clan.

A lot of men and only one woman had decided to partake in this tournament. The men were tall and muscular whilst the woman was short and slender. The Cryomancer brothers were rather surprised to see that a woman would be in the clan, but Sareena felt at peace. She hoped that the girl would win and be able to make her feel at ease with another girl being in the clan with her. It felt rather uncomfortable being in this place, full of boys and no girls. Boys that had not seen breasts in a long time. But thankfully, those boys were cyborgs, so they didn't feel those kinds of urges. However, it still felt rather uncomfortable.

Sub-Zero invited all of the contestants into the Temple and took them into the room where the tournament would take place. They anxiously sat in the chairs that littered the two rings. The room was massive and had a lot of fighting equipment in it, such as boxing gloves, shin pads, Thai pads, skipping ropes, and punching bags. The room was plain in it's colour and the floor was tile.

Grandmaster Tundra sat on his Throne, which was set in front of the ring and made of ice. He could not have the tournament wait any longer; it had to commence now. With that in mind, the young Cryomancer stood up and spoke.

"Greetings, everyone!" He began, "I am Grandmaster Tundra of the Lin Kuei clan of assassins. To my right is my brother, Sub-Zero, and to my left is Sareena. We will all be the judges of this tournament today.

"Some of you are here of your own volition...others were brought here by chance. If you defeat all of your opponents, you will be recruited into the Lin Kuei. We will be testing you on your skill and fighting ability to see whether or not you are worthy of being in the clan. Now, I want each of you to tell me your name, so that we can set up the battle plan."

A tall, muscular brunette male stood up and spoke. He had a faint Spanish accent and had tanned skin. To Sareena, this male looked rather attractive. But she was with Tundra, and did not like the idea of infidelity, so she brushed her thoughts aside. _Why did I suddenly think of that_?

"My name is Ramon," the man said before sitting back down with a bow.

The man next to him stood up. He was from New Zealand and had the traditional accent. He had a lean figure and dirty blonde hair, with bright blue eyes to match. "My name is Roger," he said before sitting down.

An oriental looking man stood up after Roger had sat down, and introduced himself. His name was Markus. He had long black hair and a muscular body, and spoke perfect English.

Before long, everybody had introduced themselves. There was a man named Scott, another named Michael, one named James, two twins, Alex and Ryan, and one named Allan. There was one girl – the only girl – who's name was Himiko. She looked relatively familiar to both Sub-Zero and Tundra, as she had ice blue eyes and short, spikey hair that looked like it was melting. Himiko was short and slender, but looked like an exceptional fighter to the two brothers. But to Sareena, Himiko looked as though she had darker intentions for being in this tournament. The demoness couldn't explain it – there was something off about the girl. Himiko had a peculiar voice, and an evil-looking smile. Though the brothers clearly didn't see it, Sareena did. The demoness suddenly did not want the girl to win the tournament anymore.

Sub-Zero and Tundra had organised a battle plan. Ramon and Rodger would face off, and in the meantime, Michael would fight Scott. Markus would fight James, whilst Alex would fight Allan and Ryan would fight Himiko. It was perfect, how the brothers had set this out for the first round. For the second round, it would be randomly organised based on the victors and losers.

The Grandmaster stood up again, "The rules of the tournament are as follows: You may not use finishers at the end of the fight. You may use weapons and powers, as long as they are not used constantly or fatally. You can use submissions, but must release the warrior when they tap out. Other than that, fight as though your life is on the line, and good luck. Are we all clear with what the rules are?"

Everybody replied with a 'yes.' With that response, the three Lin Kuei began the tournament immediately. "Kombatants, the first matches will now begin! Fighting first will be Ramon, versus Roger, and Michael versus Scott!"

Said fighters stepped into the ring with their opponent. Ramon was strong but did not look very fearsome. He looked like a nice person who always showed mercy to his victims. Michael looked vaguely familiar to the hosts. His eyes were ice blue and his clothes were mostly blue and black. There was not much about this man that could be immediately known by looking at him.

Roger looked like a brute. A true brute that never minded tearing out someone's head and spine, regardless of whether or not they had a family or friends that they would go home to every night, or a workplace they were to go to almost every day. Roger was indeed an assassin from a disbanded clan that nobody knew much about, and during his time in that clan, his masters taught him to have no mercy for the opponent. Their motto was 'kill or be killed,' and that was what Roger did. His assassin ways stayed with him even after the death of the clan itself. The New Zealander would surely show no mercy for his opponent.

Scott was a kick-boxer, and excelled in the art of Muay Thai. Whilst he had a slim body, Scott had a rather muscular chest, toned and defined. He looked rather threatening, but his legs were his biggest threat. As a kick-boxer, one's main use in fight was their legs. The legs of a kick-boxer would be their victory.

"Begin!" The Grandmaster shouted.

And they did. Roger charged at Ramon and attacked with a myriad of punches, which the Hispanic male either dodged or blocked. Ramon countered with a powerful roundhouse kick to the side of Roger's head and followed up with a small melee combo and a leg takedown. The New Zealander regained his footing and attacked Ramon with a powerful right cross to his cheek, and whilst his opponent was down, Roger sat on Ramon's body and belted him with a series of punches to the face.

At first, the three hosts didn't think anything of what Roger was doing until the New Zealander continued his myriad of punches. This was enough. Kuai Liang was about to interject until Ramon's hands snaked upwards and jammed the assassin's arm upward, snapping it. The Puerto Rican male used this to his advantage, and violently wrapped his hands around Roger's neck and slammed his head against the ground. He stopped after three slams and brutally kicked the assassin away.

Meanwhile, Michael was having the upper hand against Scott. The kick-boxer was unable to connect a kick against his opponent, as Michael was too quick for him. The man either blocked, dodged or countered the attack with a brutal uppercut or a melee combo followed up with another uppercut, a trip or a throw.

Michael used his Cryomancy to create a kori sword. Sub-Zero, Tundra and Himiko were rather surprised that there were more Cryomancers alive than they thought. The race had died out long ago for unknown reasons, but had managed to plant several seeds before meeting their end.

The young Cryomancer slashed at Scott three times before following up with a slide attack. The kick-boxer swiftly regained his footing and followed up with a brutal roundhouse kick to the side of the Cryomancer's face. Michael flew into the ropes of the ring and almost literally bounced back, and Scott used this opportunity to attack with a powerful uppercut.

Michael regained his footing and froze Scott in place. The projectile travelled so fast that the kick-boxer didn't have time to block or dodge it, and so it froze him solid. Using this to his advantage, Michael leapt into the air and performed a dive-kick, hitting his opponent in the head. He swiftly created an iceball and smashed it against Scott's head before performing a German Suplex. With that, Michael had won the round, and stepped down from the ring and sat with the other fighters.

Meanwhile, the fight between Ramon and Rodger raged on. The New Zealand assassin had pulled out his nunchaku, and the Puerto Rican man, as well as everyone else in the room, knew that the fight was purely just getting started. In response Ramon pulled out his kodachi swords. The knives were almost the exact same as Skarlet's, except these were not as long and didn't look as vicious.

Rodger charged at Ramon, furiously twirling his weapon at his opponent, hoping to get a hit. A hit to the head. But Ramon could see that his opponent didn't have any skill at all with his weapon, as the Puerto Rican simply slashed at the weapon with ease and followed up with a brutal kick to the face.

With all the assault done to his face and head, Rodger felt nauseous and had double vision. He knew that he could compete no longer, so he stayed on the floor. _Oh well_, the New Zealand man thought, _I would rather have lost to him than someone else. This man was pretty fucking good_.

Michael and Ramon stepped out of the ring, and Rodger and Scott were taken to the infirmary to be treated for their injuries. The two fighters were injured pretty badly from their fights.

Tundra and Sub-Zero could now go on with the next two fights. They were mildly impressed with the performance of all four fighters, especially Michael's. Though he showed unflinched brutality to his opponent, Michael was rather skilled with his Cryomancer abilities. And if Sub-Zero and Tundra wanted to have a student, they wanted it to be like Michael. They could tell that Michael would be rather easy to train, and that he was quite a nice guy. Crossing off Rodger and Scott's names from the battle plan, and writing down 'defeated' next to it, they decided to continue with the tournament.

"Kombatants! The next match will now begin," Kuai Liang said. "Markus versus James, and Alex versus Allan." Upon having their names called, the four warriors stepped into the ring with their opponent. Their hearts were thumping furiously with nervousness and excitement.

Markus had a resemblance to the once-human Sektor. Both of them had long black hair and oriental features, and deep voices that almost sounded identical. Sub-Zero and Tundra felt uneasy, but remembered that Sektor was dead, courtesy of Cyrax. So what did they have to worry about?

James was a tall, muscular man. But he looked far too muscular. The two brothers figured that he must have been a body builder, as no ordinary person looked like how James did. It disgusted the brothers as to how the man looked. Both Kuai Liang and Bi-Han had muscular bodies, but they did not look as muscular as James'. Sareena didn't find James' body attractive at all; she found it disgusting.

Alex and Allan were also oriental looking and very skinny. But the two Cryomancer brothers knew that people that often looked skinny had exceptional powers. This was the case with Sonya Blade, Kitana, Jade, Skarlet, Sareena, and many other women that both Sub-Zero and Tundra knew.

"Begin!"

Markus immediately lunged at James with a powerful uppercut. The giant was very strong, but slow as well. His physique and physical prowess was similar to that of a Shokan, minus the four arms and odd markings, among others. James was knocked to the ground by Markus, but regained his footing and stomped on the ground, creating a large shockwave that sent Markus toppling over. The oriental-looking man regained his footing and unsheathed his sword. On the sword was a large dragon. The weapon was pure silver and looked very dangerous and powerful.

Attacking his opponent with a flurry of slashes that sent the giant into midair, Markus used a carbon copy of him to attack James with punches and kicks. Sub-Zero and Tundra recognised this ability as something Kenshi was known for. But Markus and the blind swordsman were two very different people. For one, Markus wasn't blind, and Kenshi was. Kenshi's abilities were much more superior compared to Markus', though.

James got up and grabbed his opponent by the throat. Lifting Markus up, the giant punched him in the face several times and threw him to the ground. The oriental man winced in pain as he was struck. The giant continued his assault, following up with more shockwaves. Markus' body helplessly bounced on the ground.

Meanwhile, the fight between Alex and Allan raged on. Alex used his sorcery in the fight, whilst Allan relied on his staff. Both remembered to also throw some melee in here and there. Alex blasted fire at Allan, who dodged with a jump and attacked with an upward swipe of his weapon. The attack that Allan executed was a pole vault-esque move. The staff-wielding warrior followed up with an overhead slam and a melee combo, and added two brutal roundhouse kicks.

Alex, who was now rather frustrated, attacked with a barrage of fire-lace knives that he threw at Allan. The staff-wielding man clutched his chest and ripped out the knives from his chest with a gasp, and managed to block Alex's bicycle kick and retaliate with an uppercut.

Though he felt very weak, Markus decided to put up a fight. He really wanted to be a part of the clan, so he put all of his effort into this fight. The oriental man got up and attacked with another combo composed of sword slashes. Whilst James was still in midair, the oriental man followed up with a small melee combo and decided to finish this fight.

Throwing his sword at his airborne opponent, which impaled itself in the waist of the giant, Markus took out the sword and hit James in the head with the sword's hilt. Grabbing the sword, the oriental man slammed it inbetween the giant's legs. James fell to the ground, grabbing his manhood in pain. Whilst the blow hadn't earned him respect from the other fighters, what Markus had done didn't matter to the Cryomancer brothers. Tundra had instructed for them to fight like their lives were on the line, give or take a few rules, and not once did he say that low blows weren't allowed. Markus had won the fight, and he stepped out of the ring, whilst James was taken into the infirmary.

Eventually, Alex won the fight, despite having been overpowered by Allan at first. The sorcerer had won the fight with a brutal melee combo which he was surprised he was even able to connect, considering that he was beaten rather badly.

Now it was time for the last fight of round one to begin, between Ryan and Himiko. Both brothers highly anticipated this fight, as they knew Frost was a Cryomancer. They wanted to know how skilled she was in kombat; her weaknesses and her strengths.

"Now, for the last fight of round one, Ryan versus Himiko!" Tundra called. Both warriors stepped into the ring. Everybody awaited rude and sexist comments from Ryan, but they never came. It was clear that this warrior was rather respectful to women.

"Begin!"

Ryan took out his tomahawks and charged at Himiko. The Cryomancer did her slide attack, tripping her opponent over. She giggled and grabbed his leg, threw him into the air and attacked with a brutal roundhouse kick. Kuai Liang and Bi-Han were rather impressed, whilst Sareena's suspicions about Himiko grew.

Ryan regained his footing and attacked with a flurry of tomahawk slashes and followed up with an uppercut. The Cryomancer got up and froze Ryan solid with a beam of ice, and created an ice dagger. Grabbing Ryan, Himiko stabbed him in the shoulders with one her daggers, flipped over him and forcefully lodged the weapon out of his shoulder.

Ryan lifted Himiko up by the throat and stabbed her in the chest multiple times with his tomahawk before kicking her away. The Cryomancer violently snaked her arms around his neck and smashed his head against the floor of the ring brutally. When Kuai Liang was about to tell her to stop, Frost released after the fifth smash and kicked Ryan away.

From the head smashing, Ryan could no longer continue. Laying on the ground to show this, Himiko triumphantly stood up. Tundra announced. Kuai Liang and Bi-Han were impressed with her ability, and hoped that she would win. The brothers also hoped that Michael came second, at least. They would be happy to recruit him into the clan as well.

It would now be time for round two.

**-I'm sorry if it seems like my fight scenes are all over the place. I hope I did a good job with them; I've never really been good at writing fight scenes. **

**-I will write the next chapter on one condition: that this fanfic gets 20+ reviews. Deal? If I don't get more reviews this fic is going to be abandoned. **


	15. The Tournament Part Two

**-Hahahaha! Did you honestly think I'd abandon this fic over reviews? I'm sorry for tricking you about that, those who are offended. I would never abandon you readers. **

**-Anyway, here is chapter 15. Again, it will only focus on the Lin Kuei Tournament.**

Himiko, Alex, Ramon, Markus, and Michael were the victors of round one of the Lin Kuei tournament. Their opponents had been sent into the infirmary for recovery, whilst the five victors stayed behind to compete in the next round of the tournament.

The Cryomancer brothers organised a battle plan involving the five victors. They had Ramon facing Markus, and Alex facing Michael. The winners of said fights would face each other. Himiko could then go on to face the winner of that fight. It was a rather exciting day for everyone who had won their fights.

"Kombatants!" Tundra began, "The next two matches will now begin. Ramon versus Markus, and Alex versus Michael!"

Said warriors headed into the ring with their opponent. Their confidence levels had boosted since the first fight, and Kuai Liang and Bi-Han noticed this. It was good to see that the competitors had self esteem, but too much confidence could turn into arrogance and pride. Whilst pride indeed seemed like something good, it was the exact opposite.

"Begin!" Tundra barked. The warriors lunged at their opponents, with equal determination and ferocity. All of them truly wanted to win this fight, and there was no way to do this other than putting 110% into the ongoing battle.

Markus attacked Ramon with a myriad of punches and kicks, which the Puerto Rican male blocked and retaliated with an uppercut. The oriental looking man fell to the ground and winced in pain. Ramon attacked his grounded opponent with a series of punches to the face and a kick to the groin. Markus soon regained his footing and attacked his opponent with a flurry of sword slashes, each resulting in long, deep cuts on Ramon's chest. The Puerto Rican male cried out in pain as he was struck.

The sword-wielding warrior used his telekinesis to lift up Ramon and threw his opponent to the ground twice. He then jumped on the Puerto Rican man, causing his body to unnaturally contort. It was rather horrific how it did so.

Meanwhile, the fight between Michael and Alex raged on. Alex shot barrages of fireballs which Michael dodged with a slide, tripping his opponent. At times, the young Cryomancer followed the slide up with twin palms. Alex regained his footing and attacked with a right cross, which became a small melee combo. The sorcerer then followed up with a teleport slam, taking Michael through a dimension before sending him crashing back down head first. The young Cryomancer felt terrible, but had survived. He desperately needed to be in the Lin Kuei!

Creating his kori sword, Michael regained his footing and attacked with a small combo that went _slash, slash, kick, uppercut_. His opponent went staggering back with a loud _thud_. His opponent regained his footing and attempted a roundhouse kick to Michael's temple, but the young man had anticipated this and grabbed Alex's leg. The young Cryomancer jammed his leg upward, breaking the bone. A loud cry of pain was heard, and Alex fell to the ground with a _thud_.

Ramon had really started to get angry with Markus. Having lost all patience, the Puerto Rican man drew out his silver whips. The weapons were so strong that they could tear through flesh with a single strike, and the wounds took ages to heal completely. The silver was pure and was said to make the victims' pain threshold decrease, leaving them weak for future times. Each strike would slowly decrease the person's threshold. And that was what Ramon planned to do with Markus.

The Puerto Rican man flipped forward and performed a spinning-based attack, whipping Markus several time in the face with his weapons. Where the oriental man was struck was now bleeding profusely, and he was clutching his face in pain. Ramon used this opportunity to whip at the man's back until Markus was bleeding from his back as well. Ramon was rather satisfied with his work. It was amazing to Bi-Han, Kuai Liang and Sareena as to what anger could to do someone in a fight. But the two brothers shouldn't have been as surprised, because they had been in Ramon's shoes when they were children.

Having been announced the victors of their fights, Ramon and Michael were instructed to get into the same ring. They had been told by Grandmaster that they would be fighting eachother, and Himiko would be fighting the victor of that fight. All three contestants anticipated who would be fighting who. Nonetheless, they made their anxiety inward, not letting it show. Having your feelings show before battle was something that your opponents could play on during a fight, and that could throw you out of place and have you lose rather easily. The remaining three contestants did not want such a thing to happen, especially since they had come so close to winning.

"Begin!" Master Tundra barked at the two warriors in the ring. Ramon charged at Michael, spinning his whips around in a cyclone like fashion. The young Cryomancer caught the weapons in his hand and froze them solid, much to the Puerto Rican man's horror. Michael smashed the weapons that his opponent wielded, and followed up with a brutal roundhouse kick to his opponent's face. Ramon landed on the ground with a thud.

With no weapons left, Ramon was even more furious than before. He got up and attacked Michael with a sweep, tripping his opponent over. The Puerto Rican male brutally stepped on the male's back, causing the young Cryomancer's back to arch horrifically, like how Ramon's had done so before. The young man knew that another stomp was coming, so Michael quickly flashfroze himself in time for the kick to connect. Ramon was now frozen and unable to retaliate.

Michael smiled to himself and attacked with a brutal uppercut to the Puerto Rican man's chin, shattering the ice and sending his opponent towards the rope. The man bounced off the ropes, heading towards the Cryomancer, who swiftly followed up with a roundhouse kick and an uppercut.

When Ramon landed, he felt horrible and knew that he could compete any longer. The Puerto Rican man had been kicked in the face a lot during the time, and felt as though his skull had been broken several times over. As much as he wanted to continue fighting, Ramon couldn't. So he laid down on the ring floor to show this.

The young Cryomancer man was awarded victory by Grandmaster Tundra. The final match was now be against another Cryomancer, Himiko. Michael wondered what she was like in battle. He had come across a lot of good female fighters in his lifetime, so he was eager to see how Himiko would compare to the ones he had come across.

The two Cryomancers got into the ring. They were the only warriors left that could still compete. The other people watching, besides the three hosts, were the newly recovered Roger, Allan, Scott and Ryan. Whoever won this fight would be recruited into the Lin Kuei, but the brothers were considering having Michael also recruited into the tournament. After all that could be said and done about that, Michael was an exceptional fighter with his Cryomancy skills and also in melee. His abilities were quite promising; neither brother had seen another Cryomancer create a kori sword, especially a normal person. Michael was not a part of an assassin clan, nor was he a ninja. The young man was just a normal person, besides his Cryomancer powers.

"You're a great fighter, Himiko. May the best warrior win," Michael kindly said. Himiko was rather surprised, as she suspected the male warriors that she fought in this tournament to be sexist. But clearly, Ryan and Michael weren't. They had enough decency to be kind to a woman, whilst the other people either didn't think anything of it, or they were indeed sexist about Himiko's participation in this tournament.

"You too, Michael. May the best warrior win," Himiko kindly replied. Her voice had a sultry tang to it that slightly caught Michael off guard, but he kept his focus. He had come so far in this tournament that he didn't want to lose. Losing was the last thing on his mind. He had to win! Winning was the only option now.

"Begin!"

Himiko charged at Michael, who patiently stood there, awaiting his brethren's attacks. The young woman attempted to do a slide, but Michael had anticipated this, so he attacked by blasting ice at the ground that would stop Himiko in her tracks. She was rather surprised, but also impressed, with his intelligence and speed. Sub-Zero and Kuai Liang were definitely taking Michael into the Lin Kuei, winner or runner-up. The brothers hoped that he would accept.

With Himiko immobilised by the ice at her feet, Michael attacked with a melee combo with his kori sword. _Slash, slash, kick, slide_. That slide that the young Cryomancer executed was followed up with twin palms that struck Himiko whilst she was airborne. Himiko regained her footing and struck Michael with a powerful axe kick to his head, the force of which making the male Cryomancer literally bounce of the ground and into midair. Himiko used the opportunity to attack with a small melee combo, solely composed of punches, and followed up with a backflip kick.

The male Cryomancer regained his footing and charged at Frost with a front flip kick and hit her in the throat with his fist. The female Cryomancer felt as though her windpipes had been crushed, as she found it very difficult to breathe. When he saw what he had done, Michael immediately halted his assault, as he felt bad. Michael thought that as a Cryomancer, Himiko would have not been so affected by the blow. But that was clearly not the case.

Himiko quickly regained her breath and the duo continued the fight without a qualm. The Cryomancer female pulled Michael closer to her and stabbed him in the shoulder with one of her ice daggers. Himiko then flipped forward and wenched the dagger out of his shoulder. From the force of the attack, Michael fell to the ground. Using his moment of vulnerability to her advantage, Himiko's hands snaked around his neck and slammed Michael's head repeatively against the floor in a violent fashion. She slammed his head three times before stopping.

Michael could go no longer with the fight. His shoulders and head were aching, and he knew that if he continued now, he would surely lose. The male Cryomancer laid on the ring floor to show that his opponent had won the much. Tundra then stepped into the ring, gently grabbed Himiko's hand, and proudly held it up.

"Kombatants, I present to you our victor and newest Lin Kuei member, Himiko!" Tundra's voice rung with pride, and everybody clapped as a sign of congratulation to Himiko. The Grandmaster then helped Michael up and requested a word with the male.

"Would you like to join our clan, Michael? Your fighting skills and Cryomancer powers are impressive. We could use members like you in our clan," Tundra offered.

Michael thought about this for a moment. He knew that in past times, the Lin Kuei were vile assassins that gave their members no freedom at all. Freedom was something that Michael needed to have, and he wanted to be sure that joining the Lin Kuei would still give him freedom. "Are the Lin Kuei anything at all like what they used to be, Grandmaster Tundra?"

Tundra chuckled, "Not at all, Michael. I assure you that the clan has been reformed since the last Grandmaster died. I promise you that the clan it was is no more. The new Lin Kuei is a better clan altogether. Friendships and freedom are the key to becoming a better warrior, as a fighter needs to be at peace with themselves and others to complete their training and other goals. You may leave and/or return anytime you like, Michael, as long as you inform us first."

Taking in what the man had said, Michael decided to accept the Grandmaster's proposal. "Sure. It would be an honour, Grandmaster."

Tundra smiled, rather pleased with himself and Michael. "Good. We will organise your uniform and codename tomorrow."

** -The tournament is officially over! I hope I did a good job with the fight scenes. This time around, they were rather easy to write. **

**-I really like my OC, Michael. I'm sorry if I made him or the other male contestants a Gary Stu. I did my best not to – I modelled their powers after canonical MK characters but slightly limited the powers of my OC. **

**-There will be some juicy stuff between Michael/Himiko, even though they are my NOTP (Not a one true pairing. I hate it when people are paired with Frost. They can do so much better). **

**-Now, we can go back to the events of Deception! **


	16. Revealations

**-Today's shoutout goes to Poe's Daughter, for helping me with the codename of my OC, Michael. Her Sub-Zero trilogy is one of the greatest story I've read! Check it out if you haven't. **

The Dragon King, having successfully reawakened with Reptile's help, stood in the chamber. It felt like he had been asleep for so long, and Onaga was finding it difficult to move around. He had been killed by Shao Kahn, who poisoned the once Emperor of Outworld and took the Throne. But now he was alive once more, and wanted nothing more than to begin his conquest of the realms.

Leaving the Incubation Chambers, Onaga headed to Edenia. He knew that his Warriors had been since resurrected, and that Tanya and Reiko were the ones responsible. The Dragon King was curious as to how the warriors had been brought back, but he knew that the duo were powerful sorcerers that could perform magical spells easily. They had probably killed people and used their souls to bring back his warriors.

Once he was in the realm, Onaga headed to the Palace, where he knew his warriors were. The realms looked a mess. Broken trees littered the floor as did the remains of broken objects. _This is probably the work of my warriors_, the Dragon King thought to himself. _I am impressed. Perhaps Tanya and Reiko are much more worthy than I estimated_.

Barging through the doors of the Palace, Onaga saw that Tanya and Reiko were in there, with Kitana, Jade, Smoke, and Cyrax at their side. The Dragon King figured that those four warriors had been killed by Reiko or Tanya, or by someone else behind the scenes, and then brought back to life by the two sorcerers. Reiko and Tanya were smart enough to put a mind control spell on the warriors to make them obedient to them and only them. With Reiko and Tanya stood the Dragon King's warriors. The Edenian Palace was a wreck, but that didn't matter to either of them. Sindel had been imprisoned by her own daughter at Tanya's request, and besides the incarcerated Edenian Queen, nobody else was inside the Palace.

"Onaga," Tanya spoke, bowing to the King as a sign of respect. "Reiko and I are planning on forming an army to conquer all of the realms. Your warriors have proved very useful to us. They are much more powerful than I had anticipated."

The Dragon King nodded. "Indeed. Why else do you think I had them at my command? With them at my side, I will be able to begin my conquest of realms. It is highly likely that I will be able to complete my goals without anybody stopping me."

"Indeed. Reiko and I offer you our full allegiance. It is time that we began our conquest. No doubt the Earthrealm heroes are going to try and fight back," Tanya replied.

Little did everyone in the Throneroom know that Skarlet was watching the whole time. The hemomancer had been watching everything from the moment Tanya and Reiko returned to the Palace with her corrupted allies. Her suspicions about Tomas' resurrections had been confirmed. She would have to tell the other heroes about this.

"This is horrible," the hemomancer said to herself. It made her sad to see that her friends had become zombies, bent to the will of two naughty sorcerers. Something had to be done and it had to be done _now_. Skarlet would not waste any more time. It broke her heart to see her friends and her lover as mindless zombies.

The sexy assassin decided that she would start off by telling her Lin Kuei allies. Teleporting away from the Palace, Skarlet ran to the Temple, which was nearby. The red-clad tracker could smell the blood of Kuai Liang and Bi-Han, so she knew that they were near.

The Temple had been decorated with new furniture and other antiques. With the tournament over, the Lin Kuei decided to customise the Temple, making it much more friendlier. Skarlet hadn't been in the new Temple, but already liked how it looked. The red assassin continued walking until she found the Lin Kuei warriors, eating lunch in the Throneroom.

The Throneroom was a massive area, with a long table in the middle. There were eight golden pillars; four on each side of the room. Behind those pillars were a small walkway with large brown double doors; one that would lead into the outside area, and another that would lead into the training area. The entire room was painted black, contrasting with the golden pillars.

Tundra could hear footsteps nearby, and immediately put down his food to investigate. The Grandmaster saw that the footsteps belonged to Skarlet, who was an ally. Kuai Liang smiled at the woman.

"Hello, Skarlet. It is good to see you," the Grandmaster kindly said. The red assassin smiled back and spoke, "Hello, Grandmaster Tundra. I have some news for you and the Lin Kuei." Tundra motioned for her to continue and allowed her to sit on the table with the fellow Lin Kuei. The sexy tracker sat down next to Sareena. Himiko, who's codename was Frost, was sitting next to the demoness, who reluctantly allowed the female Cryomancer to do so. Next to Himiko was Michael, who's codename was Snowstorm. On the other side of the table was Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, and the rest of the cyberninjas accompanied them, even though they didn't have to eat.

"I come bearing bad news, Tundra. The Dragon King has been resurrected somehow, and Tanya and Reiko have formed an alliance with him. They've resurrected Kitana, Jade, Smoke, and Cyrax as undead, corrupted warriors bent to their will," Skarlet said. She had a sad look in her face. Both brothers knew she was not one to lie, so they could trust the red assassin.

Kuai Liang and Bi-Han were heart broken about what had become of Cyrax and Smoke. It pained them to know that their Lin Kuei brothers had been brought back to life, with no control over their actions. What was even worse was that they couldn't descend into the afterlife peacefully, and that they couldn't do anything about their resurrection.

"We must find Raiden and tell him about what is to happen. Onaga plans to conquer all the realms with Tanya and Reiko at his side. They know that we will soon be acting, so they are making haste with their plans. If they are, so should we," Skarlet continued. Everybody nodded to show that they agreed with the red assassin.

"You are right, Skarlet. First we must clean up the table before we go to Raiden. It will not take long, as there is not a lot of people to clean up after," the Grandmaster replied. Everybody stood up, having finished their food, and started to gather the plates, cutlery, drinks, glasses, and other things on the table to bring them into the kitchen area to clean up. Snowstorm grabbed the tablecloth and went outside to shake it out.

Everybody regrouped in the Throneroom, and Tundra made haste, "Kazuya, you will be in charge until we return." Kazuya was a cyberninja that was one of the best. He was very obedient to Kuai Liang and Bi-Han, as well as the other Lin Kuei. Like Tundra, Sub-Zero and Smoke, Kazuya was against the Cyber Initiative, but was unfortunately automated.

Sareena, Snowstorm, Frost, Sub-Zero, Skarlet, and Tundra stood together in a circle. The demoness used her sorcery to create a portal to Earthrealm to tell Lord Raiden of the upcoming disturbance. The portal's natural pull took everybody in it, and they soon found themselves in the Wu Shi Academy.

In the Wu Shi Academy was a lei tai platform that was suspended over a body of water by five massive statues of the great masters that founded the Academy. Around the area was a lot of natural foliage, such as trees with pink and green leaves, as well as lush green grass. A tower was also in the Academy, which masters watched their students from.

The six warriors knew that Raiden was nearby. Skarlet could smell the blood of the Thunder God, the scent of which was very strong. "Raiden!" The red assassin called out. She knew he was near, so why didn't he appear?

The hat-wearing man appeared with a flash of blue thunder. He stood before the six warriors, his hands by his side. Raiden looked rather relaxed. "Lord Raiden," Skarlet began, "We come bearing news regarding the Edenian Palace."

Raiden motioned for her to continue, which the sexy assassin did. "Onaga has been resurrected somehow, and he has formed an alliance with Tanya and Reiko. The two sorcerers have been working together for quite some time now, and have killed Kitana, Jade, Smoke and Cyrax. They were brought back to life as undead warriors and are now Reiko and Tanya's servants. Reiko and Tanya had also resurrected the Dragon King's army. Onaga seeks to conquer the realms."

The Thunder God was incredulous. How could this be? Onaga was killed by Shao Kahn so many years ago! How had Reiko and Tanya managed to resurrect the warriors without souls? Shang Tsung was dead, and it would only make sense to use his souls, as they would make the warriors extremely powerful. The Thunder God figured that they had killed mortals on the street and used their souls to reawaken the warriors, and used magic to strengthen them.

Raiden looked rather distressed. "We must return our fallen friends back to normal as a first order. From there, we can combat the Deadly Alliance as well as Onaga. It will be no easy task, but we must do whatever we can."

"Alright then," Tundra said, "We're with you, Raiden."

With that, the six warriors teleported back to Edenia to their Temple to find that it was ravaged. Several cyberninjas laid on the ground, unconscious. In the middle of the room stood two people, familiar ones at that.

Smoke and Cyrax.

** -As Johnny Cage would say, 'Dun dun dun!'**

**-Chapters 17 and 18 are coming soon.**

**-This chapter took me forever to write! **


	17. Defection

In the midst of all the unconscious bodies of the cyber warriors stood Cyrax and Smoke. The undead Lin Kuei warriors had evil, red eyes and bruised skin. Black and blue blotches covered their bodies, or armour in Cyrax's case. It must have been a result of the resurrection.

The two Lin Kuei males turned to face their former allies, and met their horrified gaze with a scowl. The six warriors were horrified with what the two warriors before them had done, and that they had killed several other Lin Kuei. Smoke couldn't help but smile at the priceless look on his once-comrade's faces.

"Have you come to be killed too?" The Enenra shouted. Skarlet glared at her former lover and vowed to make him pay for all of the horrible things he had said to her, even though Smoke wasn't himself. Nonetheless, Smoke was the red assassin's fight and hers alone.

"No, darling," Skarlet replied with a hint of sultriness in her voice, "I'm come looking for a new playmate!" The red assassins' voice rose as she charged at Smoke with the intent to make him pay, but not kill him. The sexy tracker would never forgive herself if she killed her lover, even though he wasn't himself right now.

The man readied himself to fight Skarlet, and the corruption that bounded him to Tanya and Reiko made sure that he would not hold back when fighting Skarlet; the Enenra made sure that he could kill her and thus, have the two sorcerers resurrect her as an undead. Smoke got into his combat stance and threw a punch at Skarlet, which the hemomancer blocked and retaliated with a double slap to the face. Skarlet then stabbed Smoke in the shoulders with her swords and flipped over. Taking one of her swords out of his shoulder, the sexy girl stabbed Smoke in the chest repeatedly before brutally kicking him away.

The Enenra got up and attacked his opponent with a brutal right cross to her face, sending the assassin staggering back. Smoke followed up with a small melee combo and a brutal throw to the ground. He leapt into midair and roughly grabbed Skarlet, and then proceeded to throw her headfirst on the ground. The sexy assassin growled in pain as she hit the ground, but got back up and continued fighting. She had to make Tomas return to his senses.

Meanwhile, Michael was fighting Cyrax. The yellow cyborg had gotten much stronger since his resurrection, but the young Cryomancer was equally strong and much quicker. Snowstorm was quite the opportunist in combat; he froze the corrupted cyborg whenever his opponent was open, and followed up with a melee combo.

Snowstorm slashed at Cyrax with his kori blade and followed up with a snapkick. The yellow cyborg got up and threw a bomb at Snowstorm, who attempted to block with a slide, but the bomb was too fast for the young man. The projectile sent him flying into the air, leaving him open for more attacks. Cyrax used this opportunity to attack Michael with his buzzsaw. The Cryomancer was hurt but continued fighting like nothing had happened.

The fight between the once-lovers raged on. Skarlet had the advantage in kombat, as not only was she strong, she was fast. Her movements were like a blur to the Enenra. Though Smoke was very fast, the magic was beginning to compromise his strength because of the ongoing fight. Smoke was unable to match the sexy assassin's attacks, and it was not long before she had kicked him to the ground with a brutal pushkick.

Snowstorm brutally kicked the cyborg into midair and when his opponent was close to him, the young Cryomancer hit him in the head multiple times with the kori blade hilt. Cyrax hit the ground headfirst and felt very weak. The fight going on had been compromising the magic that empowered him, like it had done with Smoke.

With both opponents on the floor, Snowstorm and Skarlet cautiously approached the unconscious Lin Kuei warriors and prepared for the worst. As the red assassin approached Smoke, Skarlet shrieked in horror when her opponent jumped on her. The Enenra hissed at her, his fangs baring. Smoke was about to bite into Skarlet's neck until Michael froze him solid. Snowstorm froze Cyrax as well for good measure.

The young Cryomancer carefully picked up Smoke and placed him on the ground next to Skarlet, being careful not to shatter the ice. Michael had made sure to use a full-concentrated ice blast that would freeze Smoke for a long time. With both of their opponents frozen, they would have to cleanse them somehow.

Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, Frost and Sareena had returned from tending to the cyberninjas. The warriors had been taken into the infirmary to recover. Tundra had assigned several nurses to look after the cyberninjas, as there were a lot of warriors to look after. The four warriors saw that Cyrax and Smoke had been frozen solid, and Snowstorm and Skarlet stood near the frozen statues.

"What should we do with them, Grandmaster Tundra?" Michael asked, bowing to his Master upon seeing him. Kuai Liang regarded the frozen bodies containing Cyrax and Smoke. He had to cleanse them somehow, free them from the evil magic that bound them to the two naughty sorcerers that controlled them.

"We must take them to Nightwolf, who can help us remove the evil magic that condemns them," Kuai Liang responded. Little did they know that the two Lin Kuei warriors had regained their memories from the fight that occurred earlier. The fight had also put a strain on the evil sorcery that bound them to Reiko and Tanya. Tomas and Cyrax had defected.

The ice suddenly shattered, and from it, Cyrax and Smoke fell to the ground, gasping and panting. The two Lin Kuei lay on the ground in pain as they began to remember what had happened whilst they were under Tanya and Reiko's magic.

_Edenia_

A young Saurian female had been travelling Edenia for several hours in search of company to help her on her quest. She had been watching several events unfold, starting from the ninth tournament in Outworld to now. The Saurian had witnessed Earthrealm's invasion as well as Shao Kahn's death and the resurrection of the Dragon King's warriors and Onaga himself. She knew that Reptile, another member of the Saurian Race, had been used as a vessel for the Dragon King's resurrection, and knew of a way to free Reptile from Onaga's grasp, thus eliminating the Dragon King. But she knew that she could not do such a thing herself. The Saurian female needed to find somebody that could, and ally herself with Earthrealm.

She stopped to regain her breath and eventually realised that she was in front of the Edenian Palace. The female could smell Onaga in there, as well as several other people. The Saurian had seen most of the warriors in the Edenian Palace before; she had seen them during the Earthrealm invasion. From what the girl could see, two of those warriors had been corrupted with dark sorcery, and one had been imprisoned. She recognised the corrupted people as Kitana and Jade, and the imprisoned woman as Sindel. But she did not know who the two dark-skinned people were.

The Saurian woman waited until the two dark-skinned people had headed elsewhere in the Palace with Onaga to break in and 'kidnap' the remaining three people. She would start off by freeing Sindel, as she could not rescue the two corrupted people on her own, even though she was rather adept in the art of kombat. The reptilian girl knew that corrupted people were often strengthened from the mind control that bound them to a person, and that could have all kinds of effects.

Activating her invisibility, the woman headed into the Palace and with her stealth, freed Queen Sindel. The white-haired woman was thanking the Saurian silently as they quickly escaped with Kitana and Jade. The two corrupted people were making loud noises and had to be silenced by their captors. Sindel and the Saurian woman managed to escape the Palace just in time before Reiko and Tanya could stop them. But the two naughty sorcerers found out that Kitana, Jade, and Sindel had indeed escaped, and were very, very angry. But they knew that defection would only be inevitable. Nobody stayed loyal to someone for very long.

Once out of the Palace, Kitana and Jade, who were still bound to Tanya's magic, started to act violent towards Sindel and the Saurian woman. The Queen could not bring herself to harm her daughter and servant, so the Saurian woman stepped in to help the Queen. She attacked with a slide attack, tripping Kitana over, and hit Jade with a double slap and a push kick to the stomach. Both Edenian women fell to the ground with a wince. Believing their attacker to be Reptile, Kitana and Jade fought back with a vengeance, but the reptilian woman belted them once more.

The blue-clad Princess and her emerald-clad bodyguard were wincing furiously in pain, as though their attacker had used fire on them. From the short fight, the magic that bound them to the two sorcerers had started to fade away. Their corruption was deterring and their eyes were returning to their normal colour.

**-Who can guess who the Saurian woman was? I'll give you a cookie if you can.**

**-The four Earthrealm warriors are back to normal. **

**-The Deception story arc ends soon. And then we can bring in Taven! **

**-For the Armageddon arc, I've decided on who is in the Forces of Light and Darkness. Quite a few people are getting resurrected. My OC will be in the Battle of Armageddon too.**

**Forces of Light:**

Michael

Jax

Sonya Blade

Raiden

Johnny Cage

Liu Kang

Kung Lao  
Kitana

Jade

Smoke

Cyrax

Sub-Zero

Tundra

Sareena

Sindel

Scorpion

Skarlet

Li Mei

Ermac/Jerrod

Fujin

Shujinko

Stryker

Kabal

Kai

Nightwolf

Ashrah

Bo Rai Cho

Khameleon

Reptile

Taven

**Forces of Darkness:**

Frost

Tanya

Onaga

Baraka

Mileena (resurrected)

Shao Kahn (resurrected)

Sektor (resurrected)

Quan Chi (resurrected)

Motaro (resurrected)

Rain

Goro

Kintaro

Sheeva

Kano

Kira

Tasia (Black Dragon Character from old MK games)

Tremor (Black Dragon Character)

Jarek (Black Dragon Character)

Mavado

Hsu Hao

Daegon

Shinnok

Hotaru

Darrius

Dariou

Nitara

Kia

Jataaka

I think both sides are just about even, which is fair. If I've missed out of anything for both sides, tell me in the reviews please!


	18. An Informant

**-I unintentionally uploaded the wrong chapter before. Ignore it. I've reposted it though. **

Kitana, Jade, Sindel, and their mysterious rescuer had escaped the Edenian Palace, as Tanya and Reiko had become weary of their whereabouts. The dark-skinned woman knew of their escape, but was aware that something like this would happen. Nobody stayed loyal to someone forever.

Once the four girls were away from the Palace, they started to ask their rescuer questions. Sindel started off, "Who are you?" The Queen's voice had a hint of uncertainty in it. She hadn't met this woman before or even heard of her, so the Edenian wanted to be sure that they weren't in the hands of a would-be traitor.

"My name is Khameleon," the girl said. Her voice was soft and mellow. She did not have a voice similar to Reptile's – Khameleon's was much more humanoid. Why this was the case, even Khameleon did not know. But it didn't matter. Well, at least not now it didn't.

"I have been watching events unfold from the shadows. I have been watching these events take place since the ninth Mortal Kombat tournament. I witnessed the Earthrealm invasion and Shao Kahn's death at the hands of Raiden and the Elder Gods. I also watched the resurrection of the Dragon King and Onaga himself. Reptile has been used by the Dragon King as a vessel to live again. If we can somehow absorb Reptile's essence from Onaga's body, then we should be able to defeat the Dragon King. But he is too powerful to attack now," she explained.

"Why didn't you do anything when Earthrealm was being invaded?" Jade asked Khameleon. The girl was rather taken back by the Edenian's attitude. "I was not in any state to help. Reptile had attacked me before after I tried to convince him that he should not serve Shao Kahn any longer. I would have helped if I could."

Jade believed the girl, but felt a little unsure. Nonetheless, she wanted to find out more about Khameleon. "What exactly are you?"

"I am one of the last Saurians, along with Reptile. I wish to align myself with Earthrealm and free Reptile from Onaga's grasp. We need to walk together to save Earthrealm from the upcoming conflict. Do any of you know of what will happen in Armageddon?"

The three Edenian women had not heard of the Battle of Armageddon. It was something that had not been spoken about for a long time. All that they knew of it was that Taven, a fellow Edenian, was supposed to defeat a creature called Blaze and save the realms. But that knowledge was insufficient.

"Yes, we do. But we do not know much about it. All we know is that an Edenian named Taven is to defeat a creature named Blaze and save the realms with the power given to him upon Blaze's defeat," Kitana responded.

"Delia, the mother of Taven and Daegon, had a vision of a clash between all of the warriors from past Mortal Kombat tournaments. Her husband, Argus, the Protector God of Edenia, had suggested all of the kombatants be destroyed. But Delia protested to this, as some of the warriors do not deserve death. So Argus suggested creating a competition between their sons: Taven and Daegon. Whoever found the sword and armour and defeated Blaze first would ascend into Godhood, and the firespawn's energy would be absorbed into the victor's armour and with that energy, they could kill or deplete the powers of kombatants," the Saurian informed them. "From what I have foreseen, the quest is to take place after the defeat of Onaga."

Sindel, Kitana and Jade had processed this knowledge rather quickly. "Then we must make haste," Sindel spoke, "The faster we are in defeating Onaga, the quicker we can stop Armageddon."

"You are right, Sindel, but it is not entirely up to us to prevent Armageddon. The fate of the realms is dependant on either Taven or Daegon," Khameleon replied. The Saurian was being truthful to the three women before her, but for some reason, it felt like she was feeding them lies.

The white-haired woman sighed in disappointment. "Well, I suppose Raiden already knows about Armageddon. He's a God, so telling him would be useless. But does he know of how we are to defeat the Dragon King?"

The Saurian shook her head. "Raiden does not know I exist, nor does he know of my method to defeat the Dragon King. We must have a meeting with the others about the upcoming conflict. I'm going to sleep now. It's late. Our plans can be discussed tomorrow."

And with that, the Saurian climbed up a tree and took refuge in one of the branches, leaving Kitana, Jade and Sindel to themselves. They were tired also, but could not return into the Edenian Palace. The Princess and her bodyguard defected, and Sindel had escaped. What could would it do to be to return to the Palace, whilst Onaga, Tanya and Reiko were still in there?

"We'll have to take refuge in the Lin Kuei Temple," Kitana spoke. "We all know that we cannot return to the Palace. Tanya and Reiko will bound us with magic again and we'll all be punished for our defection."

"You are right, Kitana. The Temple is not far away. It is just a matter of being allowed to sleep in the Temple," Jade responded. With that said, the three women got up and started walking to the Lin Kuei Temple. It was not long until they were at the Temple.

Kitana hastily knocked at the door, which was soon answered by Tundra. "Greetings, Princess Kitana, Jade, Queen Sindel," the Cryomancer began. "I trust you are well?"

"Hello, Kuai Liang. We need refuge for a few days until Onaga is defeated. The Dragon King, Reiko, and Tanya have taken over it. We were under their control but have since defected, and I think it goes without saying that we cannot go back into the Palace," the azure-clad woman replied.

"Certainly. This Temple has a lot of beds and a lot of rooms. You are more than welcome to stay here. Scorpion and Bi-Han are staying here as well." Tundra smiled at the three women, who returned the gaze. They entered the Temple and headed into the Throneroom, where it was warm.

Tundra followed them into the Throneroom. Kitana and Jade were noticed by their respective lovers, who hugged them tightly. Scorpion and Sub-Zero were very happy to see their loves. Their feelings of despair and heartbreak vanished in an instant. Nothing felt better to either man than seeing their loves, as they had watched both women die. Seeing the bodies of their loves fall to the ground helplessly hurt more than anything. That hurt Scorpion more than the Shirai Ryu massacre.

The two lovers embraced whilst everybody else sat down at the table, happily conversing. But whilst everybody else was happy and enjoying themselves, Frost was eying the Dragon Medallion with pure envy.

_Soon, it will be mine_…

**-Frost/Snowstorm will be in later chapters. **

**-I have made this sequel one chapter longer than this first story! Woot woot!**


	19. Uncovering The Truth Part 1

**-(Brief) Frost/Snowstorm scene in this chapter. You have been warned. **

Frost's eyes gleamed when she looked at the Dragon Medallion that was on her Grandmaster's chest. She wanted nothing more than to have that Medallion, and would do anything to get it. The young Cryomancer was considered using seduction as a method.

_Mm, Michael isn't bad looking at all. In fact, he's hot_. _Once I've claimed him, I'm sure as hell he won't mind agreeing to help me overtake the Lin Kuei clan. _

Himiko noticed that Michael had stood up and had bid everyone a goodnight. The young man looked rather tired, but still attractive nonetheless. Deciding to act on her plan, Frost stood up and also said goodnight to everyone, and then hastily following Michael to their shared quarters. Tundra wanted his students to be in the same room together with the intent that they would spend time together and get to know each other better. Little did he know that Frost would use that to her advantage.

As soon as Frost headed into their quarters, she headed to her bed and started taking off her clothes. Himiko did so in a strip-tease like fashion, and made sure that Michael was watching her. The female Cryomancer's slim, athletic body was on display for _him_. Her flesh was on display for _him_. Himiko watched as the male before her stared intently, with eyes that depicted lust and desire, as well as surprised. Her plan was coming together beautifully.

Frost was now naked, and Michael was excited. Himiko was a pretty girl, and he wouldn't even consider turning the opportunity down to claim her. Michael had been with several girls in his lifetime, some playmates and some actual girlfriends. The male Cryomancer wouldn't mind making Frost his playmate.

When Himiko and Michael were getting to know each other, she had told him that she was Tundra's younger brother, and since his parents had died and there was no other brothers and sisters that Kuai Liang or Bi-Han had, that Frost was his next in line. Therefor, she would be his heir to the Throne and next in line for Grandmaster. Little did he know that this was all a part of her plan to overthrow Tundra.

"You will support my rule as Grandmistress," Frost spoke, a pang of sultriness in her voice. Her fingernails raked over his neck as she lowered herself slowly onto Michael, their bodies almost touching. Himiko's body was floating over his and through that she could feel the flesh inbetween his legs growing. _Perfect_, she thought, _I've got him right where I want him_.

"Of course," Snowstorm replied, his voice husky and lustful. "You are his heir." Michael's words came out almost in a purr. Frost's actions had got him on edge and he hoped that she wouldn't stop anytime soon.

"I am," she spoke again with a giggle, "which means you belong to me now!" Himiko had crafted her plan beautifully. She had convinced him that she was the heir to the Throne of the Grandmaster, and now she had him ready to be claimed. With Michael at her side, Frost would take over the Throne and have him at her side, even though he would be nothing more than a playmate.

Michael suddenly blinked, realising what was happening. "No, stop this Frost. We're students, not lovers. We cannot allow this to happen. And from what Grandmaster Tundra told me, you aren't related to him at all. You've been lying to me, Himiko."

_Shit. I've been found out. But there's still a chance._

"Why would I lie to you, Michael? You're my best and only friend here. I would never lie to you. Tundra just thinks I'm crazy and therefor denies all ties he has to me. I would not lie to you."

"REALLY!? Because I found your journals and read through them, and it those journals, it said that you lied to me about your relation to Kuai Liang! You aren't related to him at all, and you're planning on using me as a pawn in your plan to become Grandmistress of the Lin Kuei! Do you take me blind and stupid, Himiko?!"

Michael had yelled this loud enough for people in the Throneroom to hear. And they had heard this. Well, at least they heard them arguing. Kuai Liang had heard the yelling and decided to investigate.

_No chance now_.

Hearing that somebody was coming, Frost quickly put on her pyjamas and tucked herself into the bed, feigning sleep. Michael growled in anger and frustration and decided to do the same. But before he could start stripping, Tundra opened the door to their shared bedroom.

"What is going on in here? I heard shouting in here from the Throneroom. Is everything alright?" Kuai Liang asked, worry dripping from his voice.

"I will tell you tomorrow morning, Grandmaster. I need to go to sleep. Goodnight, Kuai Liang," Michael said calmly. Tundra nodded and bid his goodnight to both Snowstorm and Frost before closing the door and leaving. The young male got into his pyjamas and before he could go to sleep, Michael was pounced by Frost, who's hand was coiled around his throat.

"I swear to God, if you dare tell Kuai Liang what happened, I'll kill you. I don't care if we're friends or not. If you betray me-"

Himiko was cut off when Michael hit her in the throat with a karate-chop based attack. Kuai Liang had taught Snowstorm that such an attack could wind an opponent, setting them up for a free hit. It was useful in difficult situations, especially when you were losing. Doing such an attack was perfect opportunity to go in for the kill.

Frost's grip on Michael's throat withdrew as she staggered back, gasping for air. The male Cryomancer approached her with a hard look on his face. Snowstorm was going to kill her in order to save himself and the rest of the Lin Kuei. Himiko must have realised this as she immediately held a hand out ,gesturing for Michael to stop.

"No, Michael, stop…Please, have mercy…" Frost managed to say between gasps of air. Michael would not have any of it. There was no place for traitors in the world, especially ones like Frost, who was one of those people that whored themselves out to people and expected loyalty in return, when really they would end up killing those people when they rose to power.

"Your begs for life are disgraceful. You clearly do not have any honour for yourself or the Lin Kuei. Tundra did not have to accept you, but he did. I cannot believe you have the audacity to betray him. Killing you will not only honour myself and my clan, but save Tundra from whatever evil your presence entails!" And with that, Michael tugged on Frost's head twice before ripping it out, her spine attached.

Snowstorm did not feel guilty, but rather proud of himself. He was glad that he had eliminated a dire threat from the Lin Kuei. But what was he going to do with the remains? He could freeze them and shatter them, that would be the best option…

Acting according to his thoughts, Michael froze the remains of Himiko and shattered them with a powerful punch. The ice shattered and littered the floor. Snowstorm hoped that it would melt rather soon, and that the Grandmaster didn't become suspicious of her disappearance.

_What can I say to Kuai Liang about Frost's disappearance? I guess I could say that she disappeared during our sleep. If he says he heard strange noises, I guess I could say that it might have been the sound of Frost escaping. But what if he becomes suspicious, or if someone else does? What if I am found out? I'll surely be exiled._

With those thoughts wrestling with his mind, Michael could not bring himself to fall asleep without thinking about the consequences of his actions against Frost. He eventually came to the conclusion that he would have to own up, but only when the time came.

Only when Kuai Liang asked him about Frost's disappearance.

**-Hahaha! You guys were expecting a sexual scene, weren't ya? Perverts…**

**-Another short chapter, I'm sorry. I'm trying to build up suspense and anticipation amongst you readers.**

**-Will Kuai Liang eventually find out about Frost's death, and who did it?  
-What will he do? Will he punish Michael?**

**-I don't know, read and find out! Chapter 20 coming soon. **


	20. Uncovering The Truth Part 2

**-Yes, most of my day has been devoted to writing this fanfic. I really want to finish it before school starts again. **

**-**_**Writing like this indicates Michael's mind**__. Writing like this indicates Michael's conscience._

**-Snowstorm's backstory is further explained in this chapter.**

Michael woke up the next morning feeling terrible. He had gotten hardly any sleep last night, as he was worrying about the explanation he would give to the Grandmaster about Frost's disappearance. Even so, he had come to the conclusion that he would have to tell Kuai Liang the truth, but wait until Tundra asked Michael about it.

He managed to get out of bed and head into the Throneroom, where Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, Smoke and Cyrax were. Sareena, Skarlet, Kitana, Jade, Sindel, and the cyberninjas were still in their slumber. Snowstorm nervously approached the other males as his mind and conscience fought about his actions last night.

_**You did what you had to, in order to protect the Lin Kuei**__._

_Do you not know that killing is a mortal sin?! You'll probably go to Hell since you have blood on your soul!_

_**He did what was right!**_

_No he didn't! He didn't have to kill her! He could have attacked her and just left her in the forest._

_**Either way, she'd probably end up dying**_.

The young Cryomancer grew angry with the voices fighting in his head, but ignored them. He didn't want to alert the others, especially when it was so early in the morning. So Michael kept his thoughts to himself and sat down. But before he did so, Snowstorm made himself a coffee to help him wake up.

Michael kept to himself in the Throneroom, sitting away from the conversing males. He wanted to be alone as his mind was in conflict over what he had done. Snowstorm had grown up in a devout Christian family. The young Cryomancer eventually ran away after discovering what he was and was adopted by an elderly couple that were also Cryomancers. They taught him how to fight and use his powers, and they weren't as strict as his true parents were. Michael was given a lot more freedom under their wing than he was given whilst with his true parents.

Even to this day, Snowstorm found himself regretting his decision to run away. Especially now that he had committed a mortal sin. Though he had saved himself and the rest of the Lin Kuei, Michael's heart weighed heavily with guilt.

_My heart feels like it ways 375 kilograms of guilt. It makes me feel fat. _

Tundra and the other males had continued to converse until they decided to part their ways to continue with their work. Kuai Liang noticed Snowstorm's presence before, and now that they were alone, the Lin Kuei Grandmaster could speak with him, one-on-one. During his sleep, Tundra had heard two voices, one female and another male, bickering. He had also heard his name come up during their conversation. He eventually heard a loud squeal in pain and then the sound of a body shattering.

"Snowstorm," Tundra began, "We need to talk."

_Here we go, _Michael thought to himself. _At least I'm going to be getting stuff off of my chest. And then my heart won't feel fat_. "What is it that you need to tell me?" Snowstorm knew that his words had attitude, but it wasn't voluntary. He didn't mean for his words to sound harsh.

"I heard voices last night in my sleep. It came from the next room, which is your room. I heard my name come up a few times during an argument between a male and a female, and then I heard a loud squeal. Afterward I heard the sound of something smashing.

"I opened the door to your bedroom and checked to see that everything was alright. Frost was gone, but you were sleeping soundly. What happened to Frost, Michael? Be honest with me."

Snowstorm's eyes started to water. He was frightened as to how Kuai Liang could react to what he was about to tell him. Michael wondered if Kuai Liang would beat him up, or if he'd exile him from the clan. Or if he'd praise Michael. But Snowstorm brushed his thoughts aside, as in a few moments, he would know what Grandmaster Tundra would do.

"I-I-I…I…" Michael didn't know how to tell Tundra that he had murdered Frost. He hoped that his Grandmaster would give him the chance to explain his actions thoroughly, as Kuai Liang could have seen Frost's murder at Michael's hands as an action out of jealously. But that wasn't the case. That wasn't even close as to why Snowstorm killed Frost.

Snowstorm finally mustered the courage to tell Kuai Liang like it was, "I killed her, okay! I murdered Frost because she was plotting betrayal to you and the Lin Kuei! She lied to me and planned to seduce me in order to have me at her side, and to convince me to help her overthrow you. I couldn't turn against you and the clan after everything you've done for me, so I instead rescued you from Himiko. She was a potential threat to our wellbeing…"

Tundra looked at the boy with a hard gaze. Kuai Liang wasn't angry at Michael; in fact, he was impressed. The Grandmaster was very proud of his student for knowing where his loyalties stood, and for knowing that Michael had saved the clan from a dire threat. But how did Michael know of Frost's plans to betray the clan? Surely she wouldn't have just blurted it out.

"Are you sure she was planning to betray the clan, Snowstorm? Himiko doesn't seem like one to blurt out her plans."

"It's true. I would not lie to you. I went through her diary one day and saw that she desired to eventually kill you, take the Dragon Medallion and use me as a pawn in her plans. If you don't believe me, I will show you the journal entry itself."

What Snowstorm had just told the Grandmaster seemed rather credible, but Tundra could still not be too sure about what was going on. In order to truly believe what Michael had told him, he would need to see that journal entry. Writing was a common form of evidence. What's on paper, stays on paper. There's no way it could be deleted in any way. But then again, paper could be destroyed.

"I would like to see that journal entry, Snowstorm. It's not that I don't believe you, but I need to be sure that you're not lying to me."

"Yes, Grandmaster," Michael replied before heading into his bedroom to look for Frost's journal. She only had one journal, so it should be rather easy to find. The young Lin Kuei hastily found the journal and ripped out the pages containing information about her eventual betrayal to the Lin Kuei, and brought it to Tundra.

"Here they are. I hope you can read her writing, because I can't."

The Grandmaster took the pieces of paper from Michael's hand and began reading.

_18/07/2013_

_I had won the tournament that Tundra and Sub-Zero hosted in their Edenian Temple. For my victory I had been recruited into the Lin Kuei, along with the tournament's runner-up, Michael. Michael was a Cryomancer, like me. He is quite attractive. His brown hair, pretty blue eyes and lean figure immediately draw me to him. He will be useful in my plan to overthrow the Lin Kuei and become Grandmistress._

_To be honest, Michael looks like a gullible person that will believe something – anything – about a person that he doesn't know much about. He also looks like somebody who's great in the bedroom. I am going to tell him that I am related to Tundra and Sub-Zero – that I am their sister from another mother, and that I am therefor his heir. I also intend on seducing him and using sex to gain his loyalty. _

_This will be easy…_

_19/07/2013_

_Perfect!_

_Michael had been convinced by my deception that I was Sub-Zero and Tundra's step-sister and therefor the next to become Grandmistress. Oh how foolish he is! Now it is just a simple plan to gain his loyalty via seduction…_

_I wonder how I should do this. I'm definitely not a virgin in my mind – I've fantasized about fucking several people before, but I don't know if my body is. I've masturbated before but that's the closest I've come. I wonder if I should fuck Michael in his sleep or use the lie I told him about my relations to Sub-Zero and Tundra to my advantage…_

Tundra aggressively dropped the papers to the floor and could not even bring himself to look at what she had written. Michael had all the reason in the world to kill Frost, so Tundra was not angry with his student at all. In fact, he was pleased.

"I am grateful that you have honour for our clan, Michael. You are free to go. I am not angry at all with you," Kuai Liang spoke.

Snowstorm bowed in happiness and returned to his bedroom to catch up on some sleep.

**-Tundra wasn't as angry as I thought I'd have him be.**

**-Chapter 21-23/24 (maybe; possibly even 25) will be the ending chapters of Deception.**

**-And then comes Taven and the Final Battle! **


	21. Gathering

Michael headed back to his bedroom to catch up on the valuable sleep he had missed after having been interrogated by Grandmaster Tundra. As the male Cryomancer's head hit the pillow, he immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep. The softness of the bed was enough to make him feel at ease within seconds.

_What a stupid bitch for wanting to betray the Lin Kuei…Why would she want to do that? After everything they've done for us…They have us comfortable beds, they fed us, they gave us a luxurious new home! Why would you want to betray them?! It's something I'll probably never understand._

Snowstorm soon fell asleep, having brushed his thoughts aside. He did not want himself to think of Himiko anymore. She was dead. There was no way she could have been brought back. So why was Michael so afraid?

Two hours later, Kuai Liang came into Michael's room to awake him for breakfast. "Good morning Snowstorm. Breakfast is ready. For the honour you have brought to our clan, you may be the first to eat out of everyone else." Tundra smiled at the young boy before him, who rubbed his eyes, stretched, and got up.

"Good morning Grandmaster. Thankyou for the first-choice selection. I indeed feel honoured for my actions." Snowstorm followed Kuai Liang into the Throneroom, where their breakfast was held. The cooks were excellent and were never late in serving the food. On the table was noodles, pork sausages, bacon, rabbit, and scrambled eggs. It was truly a warriors breakfast. Michael felt indebted to the Grandmaster for what Kuai Liang had done for him in the Lin Kuei.

"This is amazing," Snowstorm said, unsure of what else to say. Kuai Liang beamed at his student, "Dig in. After all, you have been rewarded with first choice food selection." Michael took an equal amount of each food, and made sure that enough was left for the others. Tundra sat down next to his student and whispered in his ear, "Do not condemn yourself for killing Himiko. I am glad that you did what you did, because if you hadn't, I wouldn't have been aware of what kind of person she really was. The others do know, but they were told by me. I didn't change the story at all."

From that point on, Michael would look up to Kuai Liang as not just a master, but a brotherly-figure. They had become close friends from the time they had spent, even though it was over two days. But nonetheless, they had full trust in each other, and both boys knew each other like the back of their hands.

Soon, everybody else had been summoned to the breakfast table to eat. Sareena sat next to Michael and patted his back to silently congratulate him for killing Frost. The sexy demoness had always known that Himiko was up to something. The female Cryomancer had an evil smile and her voice was deep and peculiar. And since she had been recruited into the clan, all she stared at was Tundra's medallion.

Once everybody had finished their breakfast, the warriors decided to make haste. "We must go to Earthrealm to associate with Lord Raiden. The Dragon King has returned, and we must join Forces to defeat Him," The Edenian Princess spoke. "A woman named Khameleon explained to Jade, Mother and I a way to defeat Onaga. She said that He is living through Reptile, and that when we have weakened the Dragon King, we can release Reptile's essence from his body. I am certain someone like Raiden or Nightwolf will be able to do that."

Everybody looked at each other and nodded, "That sounds like a plan. We must find this Khameleon woman and find out what else she knows about the Dragon King," Tundra said to Kitana. The warriors then decided to clean up the table and go to Earthrealm to negotiate their plans with Raiden. Khameleon may have had an ideal plan, but the Thunder God might have been able to come up with a better plan, rather than one that couldn't be used straight away like Khameleon's.

Sareena conjured a portal to Earthrealm, which she entered followed by Skarlet, Sindel, Sub-Zero, Tundra, Kitana, Jade, Smoke, Cyrax and Snowstorm. Before leaving, Tundra turned to face the cyberninjas, who had recovered since their assault at the hands of Smoke and Cyrax, "You are in charge until we return, Kazuya." Kazuya was the most faithful cyberninja in the Lin Kuei.

The portal took them to the Wu Shi Academy, where Raiden was usually situated. He often watched things from the Tower nearby. It was a way for him to relax from the things he had to deal with as a Thunder God. Raiden soon spotted the warriors and teleported to the Lei Tai platform, which was where they stood. The scenery around them calmed the warriors down and relieved whatever stress they had before. That was why the Wu Shi Academy was a rather popular place for meditation and relaxation.

"Greetings, Raiden," Kitana said. "We come bearing news about the Dragon King. He has risen, as has his warriors. He has aligned himself with Tanya and Reiko. Those two sorcerers killed Smoke, Cyrax, Jade and I. We were soon brought back as undead warriors bound to them by sorcery, but we have since defected. A Saurian named Khameleon has told us that Onaga lives through Reptile. Khameleon wants to fight on our side to save Reptile and help rebuild the Saurian race."

Having heard the name 'Khameleon,' Raiden immediately remembered having a vision about her during the tenth tournament in Outworld. He saw this vision upon spotting Reptile, and the vision was about Reptile and Khameleon reuniting. _So that's who the female Saurian was…_

"Yes. I have had a vision about Khameleon eventually joining our side and reuniting with Reptile. What else had she said about the Dragon King?" Raiden questioned. He wondered where Khameleon was right now. It would be a better alternative to get information off of her than from the warriors before him.

Suddenly, a loud thud was heard, as though somebody had landed from their feet from a rough jump. The warriors could not see where the sound came from, or who made the noise, so they immediately grew wary. "Who's there!" Snowstorm barked.

The thud came from none other than Khameleon, who deactivated her invisibility. "There you are. I was wondering where you had gone. I suspected that you may have gone to Earthrealm, so I came here and snuffed you out."

She turned to face Raiden, "Greetings, Lord Raiden. I am Khameleon. I am the one that rescued Kitana, Jade and Sindel from their capture, and told them about defeating Onaga. We must absorb his essence, as that will separate Reptile from him, as well as defeat Reiko and Tanya. Once we have defeated those naughty sorcerers, the Dragon King's warriors will have nobody to obey to, and will be in a state of madness, leaving them open to attack."

The Thunder God thought about what she was saying. Khameleon was right about what she was saying, but they couldn't simply absorb his essence without weakening him first. They would have to attack the Dragon King and in his weakened state, absorb his essence. But Onaga isn't so easily killed, let alone attack, so how were they to weaken him?

"You are right in what you are saying, Khameleon, but we would have to weaken Onaga first in order to absorb Reptile's essence from him. The Dragon King isn't so easily killed, nor is he easily attacked. Being able to weaken him is something we must find out how to do, or else our efforts will be for nothing."

"I have read in a book that there are clay-like artefacts spread throughout the realms that can weaken Onaga. They are called the Kamidogu. After Shao Kahn's death, I have been collecting them. All of the Kamidogu are in my hands, Lord Raiden." Khameleon pulled out the six pieces of Kamidogu. One was of a small blue pearl attached to a green one, another was of a red V-shaped object with two protruding horn-esque ornaments. One was of a golden tail-looking object, and another was of a purple circular pearl that had a red dot in the middle. The last two was a blue square object and a yellow and white ying-yang symbol.

Raiden examined them with awe. _This woman is a hero! _"Yes, I have heard much about the Kamidogu. When used in sorcery, they are said to be extremely powerful. Keep this safe," the Thunder God said as he returned them to Khameleon. "We will use this to kombat Onaga."

**-Using the Kamidogu is how you weaken Onaga in MK: Deception in the boss fight. **

**-Khameleon is truly a hero. **


	22. Demise

**-Last chapter of Deception.**

**-Gosh, I've made this four more chapters longer than the first story. **

Raiden had now decided what he wanted to do regarding Onaga's defeat. He had told Khameleon to keep the six pieces of the Kamidogu safe so that they would be useful in battle. The Thunder God's magic fused with the six Kamidogu could easily defeat the Dragon King. And then everyone was a winner. Well, almost. Though the Dragon King would be defeated, there would still be the Battle of Armageddon – in which very few people would survive. Raiden was dreading the event, but knew that he could not do anything to change it. He hoped that either Taven or Daegon would be able to complete their mission and use Blaze's power for the good of the realms.

Since their gathering, the Earthrealm warriors had agreed to part ways and eventually meet the next day to defeat the Dragon King and the Deadly Alliance of Reiko and Tanya. They knew what was ahead of them. Reiko would be Scorpion's duty and Tanya would be Kitana's duty. The Edenian traitor was hated immensely by the Princess, as everything Tanya did was based around betrayal, even to her own realm. Kitana hated Tanya for that. The azure-clad woman vowed to make Tanya pay for her crimes. She would not be going soft in their battle. She would not stop until Tanya was ripped apart, courtesy of her fans. The Edenian Princess concluded that Mileena's personality would always be a part of her, whether she liked it or not. But the soul of the abomination had left her body and descended into the Netherrealm.

The other warriors returned to the Edenian Palace with the intent of focusing on their training. They would need to be strong enough to defeat the Deadly Alliance and the Dragon King's warriors. Onaga was Raiden's duty. Whilst Scorpion and Kitana would be focusing on the Deadly Alliance, the rest of the Earthrealm heroes would be focusing on the Dragon King's warriors.

The warriors assigned themselves training partners. Tundra went with Smoke, Bi-Han with Scorpion, Kitana with Skarlet and Jade, Michael and Cyrax, and Sareena with Sindel. It worked perfectly, even though it was somewhat uneven. The warriors went outside with their respective partners to practice. Their training was friendly; they did not use their powers or weapons, only melee based attacks.

Tundra threw a right cross at Smoke, who countered by catching Kuai Liang's arm and gently flipping him to the ground. The Cryomancer regained his footing and attacked his ally with a double snap kick to the chest, sending Smoke to the ground. The Enenra regained his footing and tripped Kuai Liang with a sweep.

Bi-Han and Hanzo's training session ran smoothly. The two males mostly focused on counter-attacks like parries as well as throws. Both of them were rather adept in the art of kombat, having been fighters for quite a long time. It was the same with Kitana, Jade, and Skarlet.

Michael and Cyrax were training rather swiftly. Being somewhat new to the concept of fighting, the Cryomancer was allowed to use his powers in the training. Snowstorm found that he was rather adept in using his powers, so he decided to focus on melee. Cyrax had taught Michael a lot by the end of the training lesson, such as how to parry, how to counter-attack with a throw, as well as how to successfully sidestep, jump and block an attack.

Sareena and Sindel had been practicing in attack and defence. It had been a while since they'd fought, so their skills were rather rusty. Sareena found that she had more lower-body strength, whilst Sindel discovered that she had more upper-body strength. Her punches and arm-based attacks were much more powerful than her leg attacks, whilst it was the opposite with Sareena. Both of them had magic, so that would give them a bigger advantage in battle. The Edenian Queen's banshee scream was able to burst blood vessels open and even kill them if the scream was powerful enough.

After several hours of training, the eleven warriors had been completely prepared for the coming battle. They had brushed up on their skills and were more than ready to defeat Onaga. So much energy was pent up in their bodies that they felt as though they needed to fight _now_. But Raiden had told them before that the battle would be taking place tomorrow, so until then they had to find another way to release their energy.

"What should we do, besides standing around and looking pretty?" Snowstorm asked. The young Lin Kuei warrior was ready to go out and test his skills against the Dragon King's warriors. To him, this fight was like a test that he really wanted to pass. Michael would hate himself if he failed to stop the warriors and lost the battle.

"Lord Raiden said that we must wait until tomorrow to fight. If you want, you can come with Tundra and I for a walk," Smoke replied. The young Cryomancer looked at the grey-haired male and nodded. The three Lin Kuei left for a walk around Edenia.

"Do you think this battle will be easy at all?" The young Cryomancer asked. It wasn't a question directed at anyone in particular, but rather a question open to both Kuai Liang and Tomas.

"I don't think that it will be easy at all, but we will persevere. Earthrealm has won many times before, despite the fact that we had come close to losing as well. We will prevail, Michael. Do not lose hope," Kuai Liang told the young boy. Since he sported the Dragon Medallion, Tundra had been much more confident and optimistic. He had noticed a change in his behaviour and liked the 'new him.' Before he had the Medallion, Kuai Liang was a sad, negative boy who always thought the worst. But things had changed a lot since then.

Snowstorm nodded to show that he understood. "I've got so much energy pent up for the fight tomorrow. I wonder what this Dragon King is like, and I also wonder what the Deadly Alliance are like. But what's more important is what the Dragon King's warriors are like. I'll be one of the warriors fighting them, so I need to know."

"Kuai Liang and I have fought them before," Tomas replied, "They were rather easy, but those were clones of the real warriors. I do not know if the real warriors are easy to fight. But you are a skilled warrior, Snowstorm. Do not fear if they are strong or not."

Michael liked being spoken to in a kind way, "Thanks, Smoke. I'm sure that you will do well, too. Both of you." The three males soon realised that it was getting late, so they returned to their Temple. They would need a lot of sleep for the battle to come.

_The next day _

The eleven warriors in the Temple woke up bright and early to have one more training session before the battle. The warriors needed all the practice they could get in order to walk out of this battle alive. They went with the same partners they had yesterday and training rigorously in the same techniques they practiced the day before.

After several hours of practice, they had a big breakfast that consisted of eggs, sausages, noodles, pancakes, and omelettes with coffee as a beverage. Everybody ate as much as they could, whilst Skarlet feasted on blood. The crimson fluid gave the hemomancer all the strength she needed.

The warriors cleaned up and rendezvoused with Raiden, who came with his chosen warriors to Edenia, near the Lin Kuei Temple. Khameleon dropped down from the trees with the Kamidogu in her hands, ready for the fight ahead. With Raiden was Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Jax, Johnny Cage, Nightwolf, Kenshi, and Ermac. The soul-construct and his student had escaped when the Deadly Alliance invaded the Palace in order to keep Kenshi safe. The blind sword-wielder had gotten sick, so Ermac had to devote most of his time to his sick pupil.

"The Dragon King and the Deadly Alliance are in there as we speak. I believe that they know of our plans somehow. But nonetheless, we know how to defeat him. Onaga is my duty, and the Deadly Alliance is the duty of Scorpion and Kitana. Everybody else will fight the Dragon King's warriors," the Thunder God explained.

From what they could see, Tanya used her sorcery to create a Portal to Outworld, which she, Reiko and Onaga entered. Raiden turned to his warriors and spoke again, "They have gone to Outworld, which is where we must go as well." Everybody linked hands and Raiden teleported them to Outworld with a flash of blue lightning.

They had been taken to an abandoned battlefield that was covered in barren grass. There was hardly anything on the battleground except for the warriors. On one side stood the Earthrealm heroes, whilst on the other stood the Deadly Alliance, the Dragon King and his warriors.

A blood-curdling scream was heard and the warriors charged at each other. Raiden and Onaga went at it with several punches and kicks. The Dragon King had sent the Thunder God staggering back quite a few metres with a massive punch. Raiden hit the ground head first and winced in pain. Any lesser man wouldn't have survived.

Scorpion and Kitana were battling it out with Reiko and Tanya. The yellow-clad ninja was overpowering the Outworld male with his fire powers as well as melee combos here and there. The sorcerer could not keep up with the former demon's swift movements. The Edenian Princess was using her steel fans to fight Tanya. The Deadly Alliance were unable to keep up with their opponent's movements, as they were too fast and too powerful.

Meanwhile, the Earthrealm heroes were having a mixed time against the Dragon King's warriors. Some had the upper hand against the warriors whilst some were losing. Kenshi, who hadn't entirely recovered from before, was losing the fight until Ermac intervened, ripping the warrior apart with his powers and helping Kenshi up. "We need to get you someplace safe," Ermac began, looking around the battlefield. The soul-construct teleported them to a cavern nearby that was hidden from view. It was empty and very quiet. "You need to stay there and do not move a muscle. We cannot stay here with you, Kenshi. May the Elder Gods watch over you." And with that, Ermac teleported back to the battlefield to combat the Dragon King's warriors.

Even though what Ermac had done didn't take very long, a lot had happened in that time. The Dragon King's warriors were almost defeated; very few were still fighting. The Deadly Alliance fled from battle, as they knew they were going to lose against their opponents. Onaga and Raiden's battle was now an even fight.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao had just finished off the remaining Dragon King warriors, so the only person that remained was Onaga. Some of the Earthrealm heroes were injured heavily from the fights, such as Sonya, Johnny, Michael, Sareena and Sindel. Everybody else was in top form with minor injuries.

The Earthrealm heroes watched as the fight between Onaga and Raiden raged on. The Thunder God charged at his opponent in a flying-like motion, pushing Onaga back several metres. The Dragon King regained his footing and shot a myriad of fireballs at Raiden, who was launched back a few metres by said attack. Onaga used this to his advantage and stomped on the ground, creating a shockwave that send Raiden and the other warriors over. Ermac and Sindel levitated just in time before it could hit them.

The Thunder God got up and electrocuted Onaga with three lightning bolts that he summoned by raising his hands. The attack made Onaga fall over to the ground. It was much more powerful than Raiden had anticipated. It would now be time to end things.

Raiden had acquired the Kamidogu off Khameleon earlier. He held them in his hand and infused them with his magic; they were now infused with electricity. Waiting until the Dragon King stood up, Raiden blasted the lightning-infused Kamidogu at Onaga. Each projectile pierced through his chest, and the Dragon King's body started to shake profusely. Loud screams came from Onaga as his body continued to shake. Before Onaga could die, Raiden used his powers to release Reptile's essence from the Dragon King's body. The Saurian fell to the ground and started gasping for air, but Khameleon rushed to his side and helped him up. Onaga's body suddenly burst, and blood and guts were all over the battlefield and the Kamidogu were in the same spot Onaga died on.

"You did it Raiden!" An excited Sonya shouted. Everybody got up and applauded Raiden on his victory. Reptile was on Earthrealm's side now, with Khameleon's convincing. But the Thunder God knew that Onaga was not truly dead; his soul had descended into Hell, and he would be resurrected by Tanya and Reiko, as would many other villains from the past.

This fight would not be over yet.

**-I know I give the Forces of Light the advantage, but they deserve it. **

**-The final chapters of The Aftermath are coming soon. **


	23. Beginning of a Quest

**-First chapter of Armageddon. This mainly focuses on Taven's reawakening and the first part of his quest. **

There was a small, secret cave in Earthrealm that was mostly surrounded by lava. A small strip of land was in the centre of the room that stretched from the entrance of the cave. In the cave was two large pillars and before the two pillars were two massive eggs. One of them was already opened; it had been open for centuries now. On one of the pillars was a dragon, it's body coiled around the protruding object.

Suddenly, the egg began to shake. It's shaking was subtle at first, but soon became violent. Cracks in the egg started to appear and a loud earthquake-like noise could be heard in the room. A flash of bright light appeared and after the disturbance had cleared, a tall young man stood in front of the egg. The man wore a black bodysuit with a tunic attached. Gold accents were on the bodysuit and on his face was a tattoo of a dragon. The tattoo was symbolic, but he could not remember much about it.

The man turned to face the dragon, who spoke to him. "**Taven! It is good to see you have awakened. Do not worry, your strength will soon return.**"

"Orin?" Taven spoke, puzzled. He didn't remember anything about what had happened before. _How did I get here_? But that didn't matter, for her was going to get all of the answers he needed from the dragon before him. "What happened?"

"**You were encased in stone – to protect you from harm until I received the signal to awaken you. You are not in Edenia Taven; you are in Earthrealm.**"

_Since when was I in Earthrealm? _Taven shook his head, "I don't understand. Why am I in Earthrealm?" This didn't seem right at all. The Edenian demi-god remembered that he was summoned to his Father's Throneroom before everything going black. Hopefully Orin would be able to tell him.

"**Your father has a very important task for you. Your brother Daegon will also be participating. From what I understand it is a competition between you two.**"

"Competition? Last I remember, Daegon and I were summoned to Father's Throneroom, and…"

"…**and you were rendered unconscious. I know nothing of this quest; I was only charged with hiding you in Earthrealm and awakening you when the time came. That time is now**."

Just when Taven thought he was starting to understand what was happening, things got even more complicated. The demi-god had a migraine from the ongoing ordeal. "No…this is all too strange! Where is my Father? I wish to speak with him."

The Dragon nodded. "**I will send you to his Temple. Find the main chamber and place your hand on the altar. Your father will speak to you there and present you with the weapon you will need to use on your quest. Caro has awakened Daegon, no doubt, who should be there shortly**."

"Why will I need a weapon?" Taven asked. The demi-god suddenly remembered that the Dragon didn't know anything about this quest, so he said something else. "Very well Orin. Lead the way."

The Dragon summoned a Portal to the Botan Jungle, where Argus' Temple was situated. Taven hastily entered it, as he wanted to speak with his Father about the details of this quest. There was a lot to this quest that the demi-god did not know about, and he wanted to be sure of what he had to do before he did anything else.

Taven found himself in the Jungle, the scenery of which immediately calmed him down. The jungle had large trees with lush green trees as well as emerald green bush. Pink and yellow-laced flowers littered the trees. The Forest had a relaxing smell to it also.

The demi-god continued on through the Jungle. The walkway had a lot of twists and turns, which were somewhat frustrating. Along the paths were several bugs and massive logs that blocked the way. Taven, who's strength had returned, started to hastily punch and kick the logs until they broke. The demi-god continued on until he came across a bridge that was hoisted above a waterfall. Taven wasn't scared of heights, but this bridge made him anxious.

At the bridge stood two people, a boy and a girl. The boy had shoulder-length blonde hair and wore a white karate gi. Next to him was a red-haired woman who styled her hair in pigtails. She wore a black boob-tube and a small red cardigan. Her arms were decorated with black forearm guards and she wore red pants, as well as kombat boots that were black with white accents. Held in her belt were two large butterfly knives that looked very dangerous.

"Kobra, I've been given the signal by Kano. We should start making our way to where our leader is. It will only be a matter of time before our mission is complete," the woman said.

The blonde man turned to face her, but didn't say anything. He instead inclined his head to face Taven. Prior to this, Kobra had heard footsteps in the Jungle and became wary. He now knew the source of the footsteps.

"What are you doing here?!" The blonde man barked at Taven. The two Black Dragon had been given specific orders by Kano to kill anyone that crossed their paths that wasn't in the Black Dragon. The demi-god knew that Kobra wanted a fight, but wasn't in the mood for one.

He calmly replied, "I am not here to fight you. I am looking for my Father's Temple. Have you seen it?"

Kobra and the red-haired woman immediately knew what he meant. The Black Dragon had raided every aspect in the Botan Jungle. They had come across the Temple of Argus, and in it, they found several scrolls about the Prophecy. From those scrolls, they learned that the two sons of Argus, Taven and Daegon, had been sent on a quest to defeat Blaze, a firespawn. Once the firespawn had been defeated, the power of Blaze would be absorbed into their armour and with that power, they could destroy or nullify the power of the kombatants that participated in Armageddon. The Black Dragon wanted this power for themselves, so they took it upon themselves to kill either brother. Preferably both.

"You're the son of Argus!" Kobra barked. "You're not getting any further than here!" And with that, the blonde-haired man charged at the demi-god, his fist ready to throw a punch. Taven caught the punch and grabbed Kobra's arm. He then threw the Black Dragon warrior against a tree. The Edenian walked over to his opponent, and punched him in the face repeatedly. Kobra's face was a bloody mess by the time Taven had stopped.

The Black Dragon male had regained his footing and attacked Taven with an axe kick. The force of the attack literally made the Edenian male bounce off the ground. Kobra followed up with a small melee combo and a fireball.

The demi-god got up and attacked with a ground-pound, sending the Black Dragon male staggering back. The knock-back effect of the attack was what Taven used to his advantage. The Edenian male knocked his opponent back with a shouldercharge.

Meanwhile, the Black Dragon female had run across the bridge and headed to the Temple of Argus, where Kano was waiting for them. The red-haired woman was there in no time, as she was rather quick on her feet. Kano noticed her presence and looked at the girl.

"Kano, the son of Argus has arrived. He does battle with Kobra as he speak. Whilst he is distracted, we can take him to our base and kill him," the woman said. The Australian Black Dragon male nodded in assent, "Did yer see how the battle was goin', Kira? Was Kobra winnin', or was Taven?"

"I did not pay attention to the fight. As soon as they started fighting, I ran to find you. We must make haste. The fight could be ending soon."

Kano and Kira ran back to where the two men did battle. Kobra was on the ground, having been defeated by Taven. The demi-god was going to finish off the blonde-haired man. Kobra noticed this and immediately started to beg for mercy.

"No, don't kill me…Have mercy, son of Argus!"

But before the Edenian male could deliver the killing blow, Kano drew one of his butterfly knives out and hit Taven on the head with the hilt of the weapon. The demi-god fell to the ground unconscious. Now it was time to get to their base. Taven would be the one begging for mercy this time…

**-Uh oh! Taven's just begun his quest and he's already in trouble.**

**-I tried my best to use the same lines from the Armageddon Konquest Mode in this fanfic. Forgive me if they're not exact. I finished Konquest Mode ages ago and couldn't find the quotes online, and I couldn't be bothered using YouTube for it.**

**-Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are love.**


	24. The Torture Chamber

Taven soon awoke in the base of the Black Dragon. He was confined to an electric chair that could be activated any moment. The demi-god had never felt more afraid in his life. Standing before him was his captors, Kira and Kano. Kobra had succumbed to his injuries at Taven's hands and died shortly after the Edenian male was knocked unconscious.

The room that they were in was an underground area. It was similar to a torture room, as lots of torture equipment was in the room. Crucifixes with bonds, iron maidens, a large pillar with a rope attached, a finger-nail ripper, and a lit furnace were in the room. The scent of blood wafted through the chamber and there was nothing else to the room but the torture and scent of death.

"Now I can get some answers outta yer," Kano spoke. The Black Dragon male gestured for Kira to stand at the switch, and activate it to electrocute Taven when he didn't get them the right answer. The red-haired woman did as she was commanded, and the Edenian male felt even more frightened.

"So tell me, son of Argus, what do you know about this 'quest' that you've been sent on, eh?" Kano began. He already knew the details of the Quest, but wanted to know what Taven did so that he and his clan could get a headstart on getting the power of Blaze for themselves.

"I know nothing of this quest. When I was awakened, I was told by my Dragon that he knew nothing of this quest. Thus, I have no idea of what I am supposed to do. I am not lying to you." Taven's voice was dripping with fear as he told Kano what he knew. The Edenian knew that Kano had tasked Kira with electrocuting Taven if he did not give them the right answer. But what he told them was correct, so why was he about to be punished?

Upon command, Kira turned on the switch, electrocuting Taven. The demi-god's body shook profusely from the blast and a scream that depicted excruciating pain rung throughout the room. Kano snickered at the pain that the Edenian male felt. "That'll teach yer to be honest with us, _demi-god_."

"I am being honest with you! My Dragon told me nothing of this quest, only that I was to go to my Father's Temple and retrieve a sword from there. He also said that it is some kind of competition between my brother and I. That is all – I swear to you. Now would you let me go?!"

"Bullshit. When Kira n' I looked through the Temple, there were no swords there. Believe us, we would've taken 'em if there were."

_What? There was no swords in the Temple? Daegon must have gone there and taken both…Bastard…_

"My brother was also sent on the quest; he must have taken both of them. Now let me out!" The demi-god's request was not a plea, but rather a bark. He was growing infuriated with the two people in the same room as him. He wanted to beat them up and kill them as he had almost done to Kobra, until Kano stopped him.

Kano just stared blankly at the Edenian as though he hadn't heard what Taven just said. There was an eerie moment of silence that the demi-god abruptly broke.

"I said let me out!"

Kira activated the switch again as punishment for Taven's behaviour. The demi-god's body shook profusely once more and he felt disoriented. The Edenian turned to the side and vomited from the pain and sickness he felt.

"That's fucking gross! Haven't you got some manners, _demi-god_?!" Kira shouted at him as she smacked him in the head repeatedly. Taven's head flung about as he was hit. The Edenian male wanted to vomit on Kira, but there was no way he could do so without getting killed. He was too weak to escape, so it would be a bad idea.

When Taven had finished vomiting, and felt much better, he had come up with an escape plan. He could use his fire powers to burn the bonds that bound him to the chair, and then deal with Kano and Kira. It would be simple, though the Edenian wasn't sure that he would be able to defeat both of them in this state. But he'd have to do so if he wanted to get out of here.

The demi-god did just that. The bonds immediately began to incinerate into nothing. The fire that Taven used covered the bonds like a blanket and melted them until he was set free. The Edenian boldly stood up and blasted a fireball at Kano, which sent him flying into the wall.

He turned to face Kira and lifted her by the throat. Taven clobbered her with several punches to her face before throwing her into the pile of vomit he created before. "Haven't you got any manners to not stick your face in that vomit?" The Edenian wittily remarked.

Before Kira could say anything, Taven stomped on her head, knocking the Black Dragon woman unconscious. "One down, one to go." The Edenian charged at Kano, who was still lying against the wall, dazed from the attack Taven charged him with. The demi-god grabbed Kano by the neck and smashed his head against a wall repeatedly. The Black Dragon thug could see stars overtaking his vision before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Haha! It seems my strength has returned. I must find a way out of here and go to Father's Temple," the demi-god triumphantly said to himself. But before he could do anything else, footsteps were heard behind him. The footsteps belonged to more than one person. _Surely it can't be Kano and Kira. I just knocked them out not even a minute ago!_

"You're not going anywhere," a feminine voice said. The Edenian whipped around to see that the voice belonged to an average-height blonde woman, wearing a black boob tube-esque top that was quite revealing, and black pants with a strap that she stored a gun in. The weapon looked rather lethal. The woman's arms were decorated with some kind of string that she wrapped around her arm, as well as gloves. She wore dog-tags around her neck.

Next to her was a tall black male. He wore a large bullet-proof vest that was silver. His arms were decorated with gloves and other impressive technology. His pants were dark green and he wore silver sneakers. Both of them looked like they were in military.

"What are the Black Dragon planning?" The military woman said. Her tone was blunt and she looked like she had a 'tough-as-nails-no-nonsense' personality. Taven turned to face the woman who spoke.

"They brought me in for questioning, regarding a quest I have been sent on. I believe they are trying to participate in it somehow, for a reason I do not know. I don't know anything about this quest, only that I must go to my Father's Temple to retrieve a sword."

Thankfully, the woman wasn't going to torture him like Kano and Kira had. "You had better not be lying to us. Who are you, exactly?" The black man said. His voice was deep and he also had that 'no-nonsense' air about him. But Taven didn't care, so long as they didn't try to interfere on his quest.

"I am not lying to you. Kano and Kira are in that room there. Both of them are unconscious. As for who I am, my name is Taven. I am the son of Argus," the Edenian told them. The woman and the male looked at each other with a smile.

"Well Taven, good luck on your quest. I hope we met again," the blonde woman said in a kind voice. Her somewhat interrogative demeanour had dropped completely, whilst the man standing next to her hadn't seemed to change at all.

The demi-god used his magic to open a portal back to the Botan Jungle, where he would go to his Father's Temple to investigate and hopefully found out more about this quest.

**-I searched up Taven on the MK wiki and under the 'Trivia' section it said that Taven was supposed to have a bow and arrow. Let's face it: bow and arrows are cooler than swords, and Taven is an awesome character. So he will have a bow and arrow instead of a sword.**

**-Hope you enjoyed!**


	25. Back from the Dead

Taven activated a Portal back to the Botan Jungle, where his Father's Temple was. The Edenian male had arrived at the bridge where Kira and Kobra were standing. The demi-god crossed the bridge and as he walked, he noticed a mysterious creature jump up from the bridge and into the trees. The creature was one that Taven had not seen in his life, and was rather anxious about what it was. "What was that thing?" He said to himself before continuing on.

After at least half an hour of walking, the demi-god soon found himself standing before his Father's Temple. Taven pushed the door open and found himself standing in the Temple of Argus. But something was off about this Temple. It was old and seemed to not have been inhabited for years. Bugs and other creepy crawlies littered the floor. Taven was careful not to step on the creatures, for they may attack him. The Edenian continued until he was at the altar of the Temple.

On the wall was were strange pictures that Taven hadn't seen before. "What are these pictures?" He said to himself. "That looks like Mother having one of her visions," Taven said as he came across a picture that was of a woman that had both of her hands on her head as though she was engaging in some kind of psychic act. "Then there's Mother and Father talking," the demi-god continued as he saw a picture of Delia and Argus conversing on a pyramid. "And there's Daegon and I being awakened by our respective dragons, and wearing armour and holding swords. Then there's a picture of my brother and I fighting some kind of demon atop a Pyramid."

It then occurred to Taven that what was depicted on the wall was what the quest was about. Delia had had a vision about some kind of event taking place, and therefor had both Taven and Daegon kept safe in an egg and to be awakened by their Dragons when the time was right. They were then to find armour and a weapon and fight some demonic creature. But that was not enough. The demi-god still needed to know what the meaning of the quest was.

Taven searched around the Temple and found a bow and arrow on the ground, behind a statue. He hadn't come across the swords that Orin and Kano had mentioned, but the demi-god was rather content with this weapon. The Edenian male held the bow and placed the quiver on his back. He liked the bow and arrow. It suited him.

Before he could head out of the Temple, Taven was confronted by several warriors. They wore black and red outfits and looked like criminals similar to the Black Dragon. The demi-god had already underwent torture at their hands, and didn't need another round of it. With the bow and arrow at his command, he could easily eliminate them with headshots.

"It's Taven!" One of the warriors shouted. "He's the one!" Another shouted. "Let's take him to Daegon to be killed!" Another said. Taven was going to have none of this. He loaded his bow with three arrows and shot them at the warriors that spoke. They fell to the ground with a loud yelp, a copious amount of blood pouring from the spot the arrow had hit them.

Whilst three were down, several still needed to be dealt with. Taven took out the rest of his arrows and charged them with fire so that they would have more power. He loaded his bow and shot the arrows at the remaining warriors, each falling to the ground with a wince.

One of them was still alive from the shot. The demi-god decided to use this to his advantage by questioning him. "Why are you here? Who are you?!" His voice was hard and serious. He wanted answers and he wanted them _now_. The Edenian male was going to kill the warrior if he didn't answer him.

The warrior looked at him and started to laugh. The guffaw wasn't very loud and was quickly replaced with cries of pain as blood came out from the warriors mouth. Taven was very angry and wouldn't have any more of this bullshit, so he took the arrow from the warrior's chest and slit his throat with the projectile.

"Pathetic," the Edenian said. He then took the arrows out of the dead bodies of the warriors and used his sorcery to clean them of the crimson fluid before putting them back in the quiver. Taven then left the Temple to continue on his quest.

_Wu Shi Academy_

Raiden sat in the Tower, overlooking two warriors sparring on the Lei Tai platform. Watching from the Tower was a way for the Thunder God to unwind from the stress of saving Earthrealm. He had defeated Onaga and gained a new valuable asset to the Forces of Light, but Raiden still had a lot on his mind. The Final Battle was coming.

The Thunder God's mind churned as he thought about what would happen at Armageddon. Everybody would die, no doubt about that. He wondered if there was to be any survivors, and if so, who it could be. Before Raiden could think of another possible outcome at Armageddon, a vision came over him.

The vision was of a bow and arrow wielding warrior leaving the Temple of Argus and heading in search of the Temple of Delia, also known as the Lady of the Flame due to her fire powers. Raiden decided to guide Taven about the whereabouts of her Temple. There was an abandoned one in Arctika, but that wasn't the one Taven needed to find. The one he needed to know of was in Edenia, where the Lin Kuei resided.

In a flash of blue lightning, Raiden teleported away from the Wu Shi Academy and arrived at the Botan Jungle, where Taven was. The Thunder God had appeared right before the demi-god. Taven had never seen Raiden before, so he was rather wary about what this man entailed.

"Who are you?" Taven asked calmly. The man before him looked very powerful, so the demi-god did not want to fight, even though his strength had completely returned and he was much stronger than before, especially with his weapon. But even so, the Edenian male was not in the mood to fight.

"I am Raiden, God of Thunder. I have been looking for you, Taven," the hat-wearing man said. The demi-god immediately knew who he was. Raiden was a friend of Argus, so it would make sense as to why Raiden was here.

"Why have you been looking for me? I have business to attend to. I cannot afford to be stalled any longer."

"You are looking for the wrong Temple. The true Temple of Delia is in Edenia. There is where you will find your armour." The Thunder God placed his hand on Taven's shoulder and teleported them to Edenia in a flash of blue lightning.

The duo arrived at Edenia, at the entrance of the Lin Kuei Temple. Raiden turned to face Taven, "That is where your armour is. I do not know any other details of the quest. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"All I know is that the quest is based on one of Mother's visions, and that it is a competition between my brother and I. We are to acquire a weapon and armour and defeat some kind of demonic creature atop a Pyramid. I do not know of any details behind the quest."

The Thunder God nodded. "Good luck, Taven." And with that, he teleported away, presumably back to Earthrealm.

The demi-god headed through the Temple. He could hear people in there, so he was not alone. Taven would have to be careful in his mission to retrieve the armour. He tried to walk through the Lin Kuei Temple as quietly as he could, but he was soon found out.

Tundra, who was among those conversing in the Temple's main room, heard the footsteps and hushed the people that were talking. "Wait…" he took a few steps closer to the main room's entrance, "Someone approaches."

Kuai Liang soon found that there was a mysterious looking man in the Temple. The man had a dragon tattoo on the side of his face and he wielded a bow and arrow. His clothing was black with golden accents.

"Who are you, intruder?!" Kuai Liang barked at the man, who put up his hands defensively. "My name is Taven. I have been sent here by Lord Raiden to retrieve a set of armour for my quest. The armour is necessary in order to complete the quest."

Tundra suddenly remembered moving into the Temple and noticing that there was a strange depiction of a prophecy on the wall, and that there was a small opening in the wall that had a dragon on it, the same one on Taven's face. It was all starting to make sense now…

"Come with me. There is something I must show you," Kuai Liang told him. The demi-god did as told and was taken to a corridor nearby. In it was a small opening in the wall that had a dragon on it, the same as the one that Taven had tattooed on his face. On the wall behind it was the depiction of the prophecy that the Edenian saw in the Temple of Argus.

"The dragon on here is the same as the one on your face. It appears that there is some kind of connection to it. Would you care to explain how you are tied to it, Taven?"

"I was sent on a quest, one based on a vision that Mother had. It is a competition between my brother and I. It appears that whoever gets the armour and the weapon first will be able to defeat some kind of demonic creature atop a Pyramid. The outcome of defeating the creature is unknown for now," the demi-god explained.

"I see. Are you going to open the chest?"

Taven nodded and took out one of his arrows. The demi-god lodged it in the opening and twisted it, opening the small door to the armour. Taven carefully took the armour out and fitted it on him. A surge of power rushed through him as he wore the armour bestowed to him by his Mother.

Before either of them could say anything, a loud witch-like cackle rung throughout the Temple. Taven and Tundra shared a glance and decided to investigate the noise. The laugh belonged to none other than a short female with bright blue eyes, spiky hair that was blue and appeared to be melting, and wore a uniform similar to Tundra's.

That laugh belonged to Frost.

** -Dun dun dun!**

**-Taven has found his armour and is about halfway through his quest, but Frost has come to throw a wench in his plans. **

**-Not everything that happens in Konquest mode will be written about in this fic. Only the parts I want to include; such as Taven going to Charred Mountain and meeting his brother, his arrival in Outworld and travel to Edenia, and the end of the quest. I don't' want to spend too much on Taven.**

**-I am aware that Raiden isn't allowed to help Taven due to his godly status, but there isn't harm in it. It wasn't really helping him that much anyway. **

**-The Forces of Light and Darkness will soon be forming.**

**-Hope you enjoyed. **


	26. Gathering of Warriors

**-Quite a few people get resurrected in this chapter.**

The laugh that rung throughout the Temple belonged to none other than Frost. The female Cryomancer had somehow come back from the dead, most likely through means of resurrection. Her soul had descended into the Netherrealm due to the corruption that stained it, and she was resurrected by Tanya and Reiko to serve them. But she wanted revenge on the Lin Kuei more than anything. She wanted to see Michael's head on a plate.

"Surprised to see me, Tundra? The look on your face is priceless. You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, could you?" Himiko then let out a laugh that sounded demonic. Taven was unsure of what to do or what to say. The woman before him was crazy, for lack of a better word.

Taven turned to face Tundra, and nodded, showing that he was willing to fight the crazy woman. The demi-god stepped forward and got into his fighting stance. Frost got ready to fight her opponent. Himiko's hands glowed blue, indicating that her ice powers were readying for the battle. Air emitted from her hands as well as her hair, similar to how air emitted from Tundra's mouth and arms, which were covered in a blanket of ice due to the Dragon Medallion.

The demi-god bore a subtle resemblance to Michael, the Lin Kuei member who murdered Frost. When Himiko's ice fell on Taven, the person standing in the demi-god's place was not the Edenian himself, but Snowstorm instead…

"Back to finish what you started, Snowstorm?!" Himiko barked, her delusion and anger taking over her vision. All she saw was Michael, and nobody else. She was more than ready to finish what he had started.

"Snowstorm? What are you talking about?" Taven responded. He had no idea as to what transpired a few days ago regarding the murder of Himiko. Clearly he hadn't, for he was not even awake then, nor was he affiliated with the Lin Kuei in any particular way, despite being tentative allies with Grandmaster Tundra.

"The Medallion…help me get the Medallion! Or I will have my revenge against you, Snowstorm! Don't you want to be able to touch me again? To kiss me? To ravage me in bed?!"

Taven would not have this anymore. This woman's madness had to be put to an end. The demi-god charged at her with a shoulder ram which knocked her into a wall. Himiko winced in pain as the back of her head hit the wall.

The female Cryomancer regained her footing and shot a beam of ice at the ground 'Michael' stood on, subduing him. Himiko then charged at him, her daggers in her hands, and lodged both of them in his shoulders. She then flipped behind him, using his shoulders as support, wenched out her knives and kicked him away. Taven crashed into the ground.

The Edenian got up and leapt into the air. When he came back down to the ground he slammed his fists against the floor, creating a large shockwave that sent Frost toppling over. Tundra jumped just in time, but the antiques in the room weren't so lucky. Tables and chairs fell to the ground, surprisingly not broken, but glasses and pictures fell to the ground and shattered, their remains littering the floor.

Frost staggering back from the ground pound, slightly nauseous. The Edenian used this to his advantage by shooting three fire-charged arrows at his opponent, each impaling her in the chest. The flame-charged projectiles made Himiko feel like she was being burnt from the inside and out, but that wasn't the case at all. It was merely just a side effect from the attack.

The wounds that came from the arrow shots drew blood on Frost's chest. The Cryomancer was bleeding profusely. She eventually pulled out each arrow with what strength she had left, and soon ran from the Temple as fast she could. Himiko was embarrassed with her defeat at the demi-god's hands.

"What was that all about? Why did she call me Michael?" Taven asked the Grandmaster. Kuai Liang went on to explain that Taven bore a subtle resemblance to one of his students, Michael, the murderer of Frost, who had come back to get revenge on Michael. The demi-god understood everything now, but nonetheless thought of Frost as crazy.

"With that cleared up, do you know of any warriors that wear red and black uniforms? They keep on attacking me, and somehow know my name."

Kuai Liang thought for a while. That colour scheme seemed rather familiar, yes, but he couldn't remember the name of the clan they belonged to. He knew that they were enemies to the Black Dragon…_yes_. Now Tundra remembered.

"They are called the Red Dragon."

"Do you know where I could find them?"

"Charred Mountain."

The Edenian nodded and bowed in gratitude, a gesture that Kuai Liang returned. Taven then activated a portal to Charred Mountain and jumped in the swirling vortex rather hastily.

The demi-god arrived at the entrance of the Red Dragon's Base. The entrance was rather Spartan. It did not have any sort of decoration to it, just a plain sandy walkway. Taven walked through the cave.

The base was dark and somewhat eerie. Loud noises could be heard that frightened Taven. The demi-god was constantly alert to his surroundings. He didn't want anyone sneaking up on him.

As he passed through the cave, the Edenian male fought through several Red Dragon Warriors. They shouted the same things as the ones in Argus' Temple did. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Taven prevailed.

Eventually, Taven came across a room that was surrounded by computers on each corner of the room. Behind one of the computers stood a Red Dragon that looked worn out and very weak. It also looked as though it was going to snap any second. In the room stood a very familiar looking man talking to a tall, black-haired male in a trenchcoat holding a peculiar looking weapon.

"No…it can't be…" Taven said to himself as he watched his brother converse with the man before him.

"With Caro's likeness, Grandmaster Daegon, we have created 26 dragon warriors. They are true red dragons that will be excellent additions to our clan. We have also located Blaze."

"Excellent work Mavado. Create four more and that's a job well done. I would like you to see how they interact with each other. I wonder if they are anything at all like Caro, or brutal dragons that haven't a care for any other lifeform that exists. As for Blaze, I want you and the other Red Dragon to capture him and bring him back here."

But before either man could part ways, Taven decided to give off his presence and shoot a fireball at both of them, the projectile knocking them back several metres. Daegon stood up and saw that the projectile came from Taven.

"Hello, big brother. Are you surprised to see me?"

"Daegon? You look…older."

"I am older. Caro awakened me earlier than Orin awakened you…much earlier. I have been alive for centuries, and accomplished so much in that time. You will soon realise that I am more worthy of the prize than you are."

"Your corrupted soul is not a suitable candidate for such power, Daegon. You will never be able to harness such power, as you just want it for yourself. You're a disgrace," Taven spat, disappointed with his brother.

"We'll see who's the disgrace. Mavado, **kill him**_."_

It was not long before the Red Dragon Male was defeated by Taven. The Edenian male glowered at his opponent, "Where is he?! Where is Blaze!" His patience was hastily wearing thin. Mavado just snickered before leaving in a portal.

_This is pathetic. What else does my brother plan to do? _

Taven soon noticed that his brother had left as well. The demi-god was now on his own. Well, not entirely. The red dragon that was behind a computer was still situated there. The Edenian immediately recognised the dragon upon seeing him.

"Caro! What happened?! Are you alright? Why are you here?"

"**Taven…Daegon has captured me and brought me here to use my DNA to create mutant warriors for him. I feel terrible. Most of my strength has been used for creating warriors and creating portals. I cannot go on like this any longer. Please, free me Taven**."

The Edenian did as asked, brutally kicking the computers. The monitors cracked and went black, freeing Caro. The red dragon suddenly felt much better.

"**Thankyou, Taven. Why are you here, in Charred Mountain**?"

"I have been attacked on a frequent basis by the Red Dragon warriors. I came here to investigate the attacks. On the way I found Daegon…he has changed for the worse since I last remember."

"**Indeed. Daegon is not the man we once knew. I am partially to blame, however**…"

"Do not condemn yourself for Daegon's actions, Caro. You have done nothing wrong."

The red dragon continued as though he hadn't heard anything Taven said. "**My brother Orin and I were assigned to protect you and Daegon respectively in Earthrealm by encasing you in stone at your father's request. Blaze was to be the one that sounded the call to awaken you – he kept in contact through us via telepathy. I mistook a long period of not communicating with Blaze as the call to awaken Daegon, thus resulting in his imbalanced nature and failing to realise the quest's true purpose. Out of jealously, Daegon killed your parents as he believed they were aiding you when you weren't even awake then**."

_Bastard, _Taven said inwardly to himself. He would make Daegon pay for what he had done to their friends. The demi-god was sure of it. "I have to help you, Caro, as I am forever indebted to you. Please, come with me."

"**I wish I could, Taven, but I cannot. I need to stay here and regain my strength. The fate of the realms is in your hands. Go on and take your father's place. It is truly your right. May the Elder Gods watch over you**."

The Edenian bowed, "May the Elder Gods watch over you too, Caro." And with that, he conjured a portal to Edenia, where the Final Battle would be taking place.

_Earthrealm_

The heroes knew that the Final Battle would be soon approaching, and that they could not waste another minute without making preparations on who would lead them into the battle and who would be on their side. Raiden, Nightwolf, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kai, Jax, Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage were among the heroes participating on Earthrealm's side. The Lin Kuei as well as Scorpion, Kitana, Jade, Skarlet, Sindel, Kenshi, Khameleon, Reptile and Ermac were also on the Forces of Light.

An Outworlder named Bo' Rai Cho and his student, Li Mei, had also decided to join the Forces of Light. One of Sareena's demon sisters who had since defected, Ashrah, had also joined the forces of good. Shujinko, an Elder God named Fujin, and two policemen named Stryker and Kabal were also on the Forces of Light in the Battle of Armageddon.

The heroes were ready for the Final Battle. More than ready. They hoped that they were able to win this time just as they had against Onaga.

_Netherrealm_

Tanya and Reiko had become aware of the Final Battle that would be taking place in Edenia that would determine the fate of the realms. In order to build their army, the army of two had decided to make do of all the souls that had drifted into the Netherrealm.

Shao Kahn and Quan Chi's soul had drifted into the Netherrealm, as had the souls of Onaga, Mileena, Motaro, and Sektor. Frost's soul had also descended into the Netherrealm, but Tanya had resurrected her almost immediately. Combining their sorcery, Tanya and Reiko resurrected Shao Kahn, Quan Chi, Onaga, Mileena, Motaro, and Sektor, and used their magic to bound the warriors to their will.

Tanya had gone into Outworld to find warriors that once served the likes of Kahn, Onaga, and either Shang Tsung or Quan Chi. Such warriors were Kia, Jataaka, Baraka, Rain, Goro, Sheeva, Kintaro, the Black and Red Dragon, as well as Dairou, Darrius, Hotaru and Havik. All of those warriors had agreed to join the Forces of Darkness for the Final Battle of Armageddon.

Those warriors wanted nothing but the prize that was bestowed onto one by Blaze. They would stop at nothing to get it.

**-I know I've skipped quite a bit of Konquest mode. If you're a bit confused, Taven has been reawakened and gone into the Botan Jungle (Earthrealm), then he's gone to Edenia to find the armour, returned to Earthrealm to confront the Red Dragon, and then he'll be going back into Edenia to defeat Blaze. I don't really think that the Netherrealm and Outworld part of Konquest mode is that important in this story.**

**-Next chapter is the last of the story. **


	27. The Final Battle

**-Here is the final chapter of The Aftermath. I owe everybody who reviewed this fic a massive thankyou. Those people are Cold Recluse, mkfreak123, astriabarken and all of the guest reviewers. Thanks so much for your support.**

**-I have to say that I may have made a milestone regarding the time taken to finish this story. It took me two months to finish Ascension, which is a shorter story than this. This has also been the longest story I've written so far.**

**-Anyway, enough of me; here is the last chapter of my story!**

Taven created a portal to Edenia and hastily jumped through it. He had to continue on with his quest. The Edenian was almost finished, and there was no way that he could stop now. The demi-god soon found himself in the Edenian Ruins.

"At last! Home in Edenia. I appear to be somewhere near the ancient craters of the Southlands. I suspect that my brother is here somewhere. That bastard."

The ruins looked rather run down, for lack of a better word. Cracks littered the ground and there was a lot of twists and turns in the walkway Taven utilised. He continued until he was soon confronted by his brother. Daegon had his arms folded and his face was twisted into a sly grin that the Edenian male did not like at all. He wanted to wipe that smirk right off of his brother's face…preferably by force.

"Hello, big brother," Daegon began. His introductions were always the same when he saw Taven, even before all the madness that this quest brought about. "Come to fight me to see who is fit to take Father's position?"

Before the demi-god could say anything, a flash of fire appeared. From it came Blaze, the fire elemental. The Red Dragon had tried to capture him, but he had knocked them unconscious. The firespawn was covered in his element and wore black undergarments as clothing. The form Blaze was in now was not his true form.

"Taven, I must take you and your brother to the top of the Edenian Ruins. We must make haste, as the kombatants are waging war with each other as we speak. Whoever defeats each other out of you will face me on the Pyramid." Before either man could say anything they were taken to the top of the Edenian Ruins. Blaze then summoned the Pyramid of Argus and jumped over to it. He then shifted into his true form and let out a blood-curdling roar, bashing his chest like a gorilla.

From the top of the Edenian Ruins, the two brothers could see the kombatants fighting, or rushing to the Pyramid. It seemed to be an equal fight on both sides - neither side had lost a lot of members as of yet.

Taven then made his focus Daegon. The elder brother glared at the other and spoke, "May the best brother win." The Edenian was clearly referring to himself, as in their new lives, Daegon had done nothing but be a disgrace. He wasn't even close to being deemed as a God. No way would he be considered fit for the position.

The two brothers took out their weapons, and prepared themselves for kombat. Daegon wielded two Drakeswords, the swords that both he and Taven were meant to have. The Edenian male realised that his younger brother had taken both swords instead of one. But he was grateful that he was a weapon.

The demi-god charged at Daegon with a harsh shoulder charge, which knocked the younger man down to the ground. The Red Dragon Grandmaster regained his footing and slashed at Taven with his swords. The attack did not seem to scathe the demi-god, for he was wearing armour that protected him from most attacks dealt to his chest. Taven laughed and delivered a brutal pushkick to Daegon's already marred face.

The Red Dragon Grandmaster got up and shot a myriad of fireballs at his elder brother. Taven jumped the first two, but the last one hit him in the leg, sending the demi-god falling to the ground. The Edenian male fell head-first and felt dizzy from the wound. Daegon used this advantage to try and kill his brother to claim the prize for himself.

Daegon lunged into mid-air and was about to lodge his sword into Taven's throat, but the demi-god rolled over just in time. If he had been a split second slower, the Edenian would have been dead. The Drakesword was lodged into the ground powerfully enough that it was almost stuck. Taven grabbed the other sword that Daegon possessed and knocked his brother unconscious by hitting him on the head with the sword's hilt.

With Daegon now out of the way, Taven jumped from the top of the Edenian Ruins and had to participate in the folley to get to the pyramid quick enough before the other kombatants did. At this point of time, it seemed that there was no advantage or disadvantage between the two sides; it was still equal. But at this point of time, Kenshi from the Forces of Light was fighting Blaze in an equal contest.

But Taven had agreed it was an equal contest too soon, as the firespawn had quickly made short work of the blind swordsman. Blaze had defeated Kenshi and sent his body rolling down the pyramid, tripping silly kombatants over that weren't careful enough to jump over the rolling swordsman.

Taven saw that Tundra had gotten closer to the pyramid. Currently fighting Blaze was Tanya. The dark-skinned sorceress was failing miserably against the firespawn. His strength and adeptness was more than a match for the sorceress. She, like Kenshi was before, had been sent rolling down the pyramid by the firespawn.

The demi-god was then challenged by Kano. The Black Dragon thug seemed to have wanted revenge, but Taven didn't care about that. He simply focused on defeating Kano. But as he did battle with his adversary, the demi-god wondered if he was not the one to defeat Blaze. What if someone else from the forces of light had won the Battle of Armageddon? What would they have done with the power?

Taven quickly made short work with the Black Dragon Thug and turned to face Tundra, who had defeated Sektor and thrown him off the Pyramid. The red-clad cyborg's body smashed to pieces upon colliding with the ground due to the impact.

Before the demi-god could say anything to Tundra, he was hit in the head with a powerful object. The attack felt familiar; Taven could have sworn he was attacked by that object before in his lifetime. His supicions were soon confirmed by a girly voice that he had heard before.

"Haha! Not so powerful now are you, _demi-god_?"

That voice belonged to none other than Kira. Tundra did battle with the Black Dragon thug and hastily defeated her. She ended up suffering the same fate as Sektor, as Kuai Liang threw her off of the Pyramid. Unlike the cyborg, her body did not fall apart.

The demi-god had regained his consciousness and was soon tended to by Kuai Liang. Taven's eyes were drowsy and he looked like he was going to lose consciousness again. "Tundra…I want you to defeat Blaze for me. Use that power for the Forces of Good. Please, Kuai Liang."

The Edenian's voice was weak, and his request made Tundra heavily doubt himself. He wasn't sure if he was able to do such a thing like defeat a firespawn. The Cryomancer had defeated demons and cyborgs and sorcerers before, but that wasn't anything like what he had to fight. But Kuai Liang accepted it and stepped up to fight Blaze. But before doing so, he took the bow and arrow that Taven wielded in order to increase the chances of his victory against Blaze.

The arena that they stood on was as hot as an oven. The heat was head-ache inducing to Tundra, who's chances of winning had immediately diminished. But the Cryomancer had to continue for Taven, and for Earthrealm.

Blaze shot a myriad of fireballs at the Cryomancer, who ducked with an ice slide. But the last projectile managed to hit him, knocking Tundra back. Kuai Liang regained his footing and quickly jumped over a ground pound attack that the firespawn executed, and with his kori sword, he slashed at Blaze's chest. The fire elemental roared in pain from the cuts and lava flowed from his chest. Kuai Liang hissed in pain when the hot fluid came into contact with his body, but froze the wound to prevent blood from coming out.

Kuai Liang then came up with a solution to defeat the firespawn: he would have to hack into his chest further and then freeze the blood, which would then end up freezing Blaze's entire body. If he smashed the body whilst it was contained in the ice, Tundra could easily defeat the elemental. But he knew that he couldn't do as such now, because Blaze wasn't weak enough. _Just slash at him for the remainder of the battle_, the Cryomancer thought to himself.

And Tundra did just that. Whenever Blaze was open to an attack. The Cryomancer would freeze him with a concentrated blast of ice and slash at his chest with his kori sword. He would also use Taven's bow and arrow to hack into Blaze's chest further.

The fight between the kombatants of both sides raged on. Mileena had been killed for the third time now by Kitana, and Tanya had been killed by Jade. Scorpion had killed Reiko for the third time and Michael killed Frost once again. A fight between Raiden and Shao Kahn was occurring, with the fight in Shao Kahn's advantage.

After long hours of fighting, Tundra had managed to hack into the firespawn's chest and weaken him over the period of the battle. Kuai Liang decided that it would be time to end things once and for all by killing Blaze and acquiring the power from the elemental. The Lin Kuei Grandmaster wouldn't dream of using the power to help the Forces of Darkness. But what he would use the power for was unknown to him.

Kuai Liang shot another barrage of arrows at the elemental, who was so weak now that he fell to the ground. Tundra managed to lift the firespawn up and froze Blaze at his feet. Kuai Liang placed his hand on the massive hole that had been made in Blaze's chest from Tundra's attacks. The Cryomancer blasted a concentrated ice beam through the firespawn's insides, freezing the elemental solid. Tundra then delivered a brutal kick to Blaze that sent him into midair. When the firespawn landed on the ground again, he exploded with a loud _BANG!_

The arena that Kuai Liang fought Blaze on cooled down completely, and the Cryomancer felt a surge of power rush through him. The power of Blaze had run through him, and with that power, Tundra was conflicted about what he should do.

_I will definitely use it for good, but how? I can use it to wipe out the Forces of Darkness, no doubt, but then I will have to do something regarding the Forces of Light. Perhaps I can resurrect the people who died that fought for the Forces of Good, as well as strengthen them. Well, they're already strong anyway, so I need not strengthen them. _

The Cryomancer concluded that he would simply wipe out those on the Forces of Darkness and resurrect those that died fighting for the Forces of Good. The bodies of the fighters that joined the Forces of Darkness suddenly disintegrated, and shortly after, those who died on the Forces of Light sat up again, back to life and full of energy, as did Taven.

"You did it," the demi-god said. Though the power of Blaze was meant to be for Taven, Kuai Liang had instead acquired it and used it for the good of the realm. The realms would forever know peace as the Forces of Darkness were no more.

After the Battle of Armageddon took place, the warriors returned to their respective home. Everybody was at peace now that there was nobody to create conflict amongst the realms. May every warrior on the Forces of Light forever know peace…

**-And that's a wrap! I'm sorry that I didn't put much detail into the fight scenes, and if I made Tundra too overpowered. I felt that he deserved to be the victor of Armageddon for reasons even I don't know o.O But all silliness aside, I felt that Tundra should have accomplished something other than something Lin Kuei-based, and he did in this fanfic. **

**-This story was a really enjoyable story to write. I hoped that you readers enjoyed it too. I'm putting Rebellion on a brief hiatus for I am soon returning to school and won't have as much time to work on it as I did these holidays. I wanted to focus on this fic more as it is a longer story than Rebellion. **


	28. The Ritual

**-This is the bonus chapter of The Aftermath. Remember how in the author's note at the end of Chapter One, I said that Ermac's soul extraction will take place? Well, I forgot all about it, so here is the chapter that solely focuses on Ermac and the Edenians, as well as Nightwolf. Thank mkfreak123 for reminding me, or else I definitely would have forgotten**.

After the Final Battle, the warriors returned to their respective realms. Those in the Edenian Aristocracy returned to the Royal Realm, as did the Lin Kuei and their significant others. Raiden and his Chosen Warriors returned to Earthrealm.

Sindel and Ermac had previously discussed that the soul extraction would take place once things had gone back to normal. With the Deadly Alliance and the Dragon King wreaking havoc, there was no time to perform the extraction ritual. It didn't help that the Battle of Armageddon took place, which created even _more _stress amongst the warriors, as they were afraid of dying. But thanks to Kuai Liang, everybody on the Forces of Light that had died during the Battle were resurrected. Nobody would be in any state of sadness, for the Forces of Darkness were dead and there was no one who could wreak any more havoc; nor had anyone lost a loved one.

Since everything was out of the way, and there was nothing stressful that would throw a wench in their plans, the Edenian Queen and the soul-construct could perform the ritual. Sindel had contacted Nightwolf some time after the Final Battle to tell him about their plans. The Shaman had agreed to do the ritual whenever Sindel had requested of it. The Edenian Queen was rather grateful to have a friend like Nightwolf. He was her 'go-to-man' whenever there was that the white-haired woman needed to be done that involved cleansing or purity based rituals, or else rituals of any kind. Nightwolf was happy to oblige; there was nothing keeping him back. The Shaman also liked helping an ally whenever he could.

Nightwolf couldn't remember how he became friends with Sindel. They had never really talked before; only through her requests had they gotten to know each other. During the Earthrealm invasion as well as the battles with the Deadly Alliance and the Dragon King, and the Battle of Armageddon, neither warrior had traded words. It was only when Sindel had requested something of him had they spoken. But from those requests they had a friendship blossoming. Nightwolf liked to be friends with people who were on the same side as he was.

The Shaman had headed over to Edenia through means of a portal Raiden conjured for him. Nightwolf headed over to the Edenian Palace, but not before taking in the beautiful scenery that surrounded him.

The grass in Edenia was green as could be. It was an emerald-like shade. Flowers were in the grass and they decorated tree branches. The flowers were white and laced with either pink or yellow. Lots of trees were in Edenia, almost in every corner you could turn to. If there wasn't a lot of trees in an area, then there would certainly be a lot of flowers in an area. But nobody minded that, for the scenery was quite relaxing. Near the Edenian Palace was a cliff that was the opening to a waterfall. The water as beautiful and fresh; it was as blue as the clothes Kitana wore, as blue as the ice Sub-Zero and Tundra were able to use, and as blue as the sky. The whole of Edenia was a beautiful place, and Nightwolf could not help himself but to take it in and be calmed by the beauty of the realm.

The Shaman headed into the Palace after having had his 'moment' with the nature that littered Edenia. Opening the doors to the large white castle, Nightwolf headed into the Palace to find Queen Sindel and her daughter sitting in the Thrones next to each other. Both women were co-rulers of their realm. Jade stood next to Kitana, presumably awaiting orders, and Ermac and Kenshi stood next to Sindel. When they saw Nightwolf, the Edenian Queen and Ermac approached him.

"Greetings, Nightwolf," The Queen said in her low voice. The soul-construct bowed to him. "Greetings, Queen Sindel, and Ermac," the Shaman replied, returning the bowing gesture. "Can you enlighten me a little about this 'soul extraction' process? I must know more about what is to take place, or at least what is desired to happen."

"In Ermac's body lies the soul of my husband, King Jerrod. If the souls that embody him that once belonged to other people are released, we may be able to restrengthen the Edenian Resistance. Ermac does have his own soul, which is what will remain of him after the process. I assure you that this process is not intended to eliminate him," Sindel explained.

Nightwolf nodded to show that he understood. "I see. I have brought a soul ether – a serum I use to perform soul-based rituals. The souls that comprise Ermac will be able to leave his body and become people again, and then Ermac will be able to be his own person. The ritual is to be performed at midnight tonight. I will be here until then."

"Excellent. We are to have supper soon. You are more than welcome to join, Nightwolf," Sindel kindly offered. The Shaman nodding, for he was hungry and had nodded eaten for a few days. The black-haired man had not had time for anything over the past few days, but after the Final Battle took place, Nightwolf had returned to his hut in Arizona and spent the entire day with his family and his tribe. That was the most fun day they'd ever had. Nightwolf was glad that he was the once responsible for their enjoyment.

The Edenian cooks burst forth into the Throneroom with food. The food consisted of Peking Duck, a whole chicken, veal cutlets, a salad, and other roasted vegetables. The feast was similar to how Nightwolf ate in his village, except his diet was evened out between meats and vegetables. The feast that he was going to eat in Edenia was mostly comprised of meat with very little vegetables. The Shaman didn't mind, however.

After at least an hour, everybody had finished eating, and the cooks had returned to collect the dishes and clean up. Sindel and Nightwolf were conversing until midnight, having drinks of wine inbetween. The Shaman insisted that he couldn't have too much to drink for he may perform the ritual incorrectly due to the state of intoxication that one too many drinks would bring about.

The clock read "12:00 AM" and Sindel turned her head to face Nightwolf and the drowsy looking Ermac. "Are you ready to perform the ritual?" Nightwolf nodded in response to the Queen's question. The trio headed outside into the cold, but it didn't matter for they weren't going to be outside for long.

At Nightwolf's command, Ermac consumed the soul ether and remained still as the Shaman chanted a mystical incantation. The souls that comprised Ermac's being flew out his body and materialised into their human form with the incantation. Soon, the souls that made up Ermac returned to their own body, and the soul-construct was soon in his own body. The Shaman was pleased with his work. Several warriors that would be fit to serve in the Edenian Resistance had been brought back, and Ermac was now his own person. More importantly, King Jerrod was back.

The King and Queen shared a tearful reunion. The new Edenian Resistance fighters headed into the Edenian Palace, whilst Ermac turned to face Nightwolf.

"What should I do now, Nightwolf? Where am I to go?"

"You should stay here in Edenia with Kenshi. You still have your place as an ally of the Royalty here. You still have your student with you, who I'm sure looks up to you like a brother."

The black-haired man pondered for a moment. He was now human-looking. His eyes were blue instead of green, and his voice did not buzz as he spoke. Ermac's voice sounded much better now, and was not distorted like it used to be. He did not have his powers, but that didn't matter to the once soul-construct. "You are right, Nightwolf. Thank you for your guidance." Ermac bowed to the Shaman.

Nightwolf bowed in respect before returning to Earthrealm. Jerrod and Sindel headed back into the Edenian Palace, as did Ermac.

May the realms forever know peace…

**-I'm hoping that I haven't forgotten anything else. Gosh, I don't want to have any more chapters. This is truly the end of the story unless I have forgotten something else :/**

**Rebellion is on a brief hiatus for I am back at school. I hope to have two or three chapters done by the weekend. **


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